Iron Priest - Role: The Iron Priests are masters of the forge, Armoury, war engines and the Machine Spirits of all the Space Wolves' technology, and it is their job to maintain all the advanced weapons, vehicles and wargear of the Space Wolves. Their expertise lies with technical matters and their role is akin to that of Techmarines in other Chapters.Like all Techmarines they spend several Terran years with the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus of Mars where they learn the innermost secrets of arcane mechanics. It is the Iron Priests who forge each blade and bless each bolter, and it is they who appease the spirits of plasma and flame.They belong to a brotherhood older than the Chapter itself. Without Iron Priests, the sons of Leman Russ would be reduced to wearing plated mail instead of powered suits of armour. Without Iron Priests to maintain the Chapter's voidcraft they would be unable to take to the Sea of Stars. Without them, The Aett would crumble, and the Chapter itself would die.Amongst the native tribes of Fenris, there are those who serve as each tribe's smith. It is these masters of the forge who worship the "Gods of Iron," legendary figures said to reside within the volcanic islands adrift in the world's Boiling Sea. Fenrisian legends say that these gods have molten metal that runs through their veins, that fire dances at their command and that they in turn worship at the altar of the brazen god of technology.Those Fenrisian smiths that are particularly gifted may make the lonely pilgrimage to the smoke-shrouded Isles of Iron, determined to see these gods with their own eyes. Those with the wit and strength to complete the arduous journey do indeed meet with these living gods, for this is the guise that is maintained by the Iron Priests when dealing with the mortals of Fenris.Immediately, these prospective candidates are put to work in the scalding and blistering heat of the lava forges, labouring to create the finest swords within the mouth of the volcano. They are forced to wear bulky iron gloves over their dexterous hands, their muscles screaming with exertion as they attempt to transform the crude metal around them into deadly tools of war. This is known as the "Test of the Iron Gauntlet."If the pilgrim's work still proves to be of a masterful standard, and should he pass the arduous tests laid before him, then he may be taken on as an apprentice and initiated into the Space Wolves. Later he will journey to the forge cities of Mars, where he will learn the ways of the machine under the tutelage of the arcane and insular Adeptus Mechanicus. Only once he has fully embraced the mysteries of the Omnissiah will he be allowed to return to Fenris and take his rightful place amongst the Iron Priests, bringing growling engines of war to life in the service of his fellow wolf-brothers. The final test undertaken by an aspiring Iron Priest is to place their right hand into lava as a sacrifice to the spirit of the Iron Wolf. Though their hand is lost in the act, they receive a bionic replacement as part of their induction into the ranks of the priesthood.But for every aspirant that succeeds in the Test of the Iron Gauntlet, a hundred will fail. Such unfortunate creatures will be taken into the dungeons of The Fang and transformed into a creature known as a Thrall-servitor, a grotesque fusion of man and machine. Bound to the will of the Iron Priests, Thrall-servitors know neither fear nor courage, and their bodies are cut open and rebuilt to fulfill one task and one task alone. In status they reside even lower than the bionic Cyberwolves that the Iron Priests create to accompany them in battle, for a failed aspirant has committed the unforgivable sin of wasting the time of the Gods of Iron. In efficacy alone they can atone for their failures.Rebuilt either to aid the Iron Priests in battlefield repairs or to serve as living weapons, a Thrall-servitor will eventually repay his debt to the Iron Priest he has failed, perhaps even earning himself a glorious death in the process.