Wounded"I feel flayed without it. Recently I have been trying to remember what it is like to live without a skin... I can't. Too many years have passed."
end of branch
Entry point 2 of 2
WoundedUlfar's dark figure towers over you. His head is lowered, his hair hanging in a curtain across his face. His fair skin is crosshatched with broad, crimson scars held together by metal staples and covered with black, spiked runes for physical healing. Could an ordinary mortal have survived such injuries? Unlikely.
WoundedWith a twitch of his fingers, Ulfar bids the two servants in attendance to step away so as not to intrude on your conversation. They silently retreat. "Aett-Vater, I must thank you for saving me. I had a difficult battle."
YOU"I thank the Emperor that He did not take you from us to join his heavenly host, my lord."
Wounded"I always survive."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"
WoundedAfter a few moments of silence, Ulfar says quietly, "So I did not have to bury your body in the snow, Aett-Vater. It is not out of arrogance that Wolves do not allow mortals into our affairs, but because the burden of those deeds is heavy, and they reek of death. Just consider what kind of threat you could have been facing. In a place where an entire pack of Astartes has disappeared. If I had risked you for the sake of fulfilling my vows — would that have been worthy of me?"
YOU"I appreciate your concern."
WoundedUlfar heaves a sigh, which seems to hang in the air between you. "You and I are different. Your way is to rule and build, while mine is to destroy and chase down prey. Such is the Allfather's plan, and in that plan, my death on the battlefield is an expected and joyous event, while your death would be premature, sorrowful, and damaging to many other lives."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"
Wounded"The vessel I found, the Revelation Granted — that was them. Inside there were signs that Wolf scouts leave for their brothers. The Baleful Howl landed the ship on the surface and left, and the rest of the crew disappeared. I followed my brothers' trail until an unknown foe blocked my path. And battle ensued."
YOU"What foe is capable of besting you in combat? Your wounds were truly terrifying."
Wounded"An evil spirit. It attacked me from behind and wounded me instantly." Ulfar points to a particularly gruesome scar on his chest, the strike clearly intended for one of the Space Wolf's two hearts. The wound gives off a strong medicinal smell, but it is not one you recognise — probably a Fenrisian balm brewed by Ulfar himself. Your healers would faint after one whiff of such a potion.
Wounded"The snow covered my eyes and I could only make out a shadow, but it moved fast and it was strong. If the Allfather's gift had not knitted my ribs into a hard carapace, that blow would have been my last." The Wolf says these words with chilling nonchalance.
YOU"What foe is capable of besting you in combat? Your wounds were truly terrifying."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That evil spirit wounded me, too."
Wounded"Then we are both marked. Our bodies will be tormented by its deadly touch until it is defeated. But fear not, Aett-Vater, we will defeat it. I swear it."
YOU"What foe is capable of besting you in combat? Your wounds were truly terrifying."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That evil spirit wounded me, too."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Your pack seems to have led an entire ship's crew to their deaths."
WoundedThe wolf shrugs sadly. "Do not blame us for what we are. Death always clings to the warriors of the Allfather, and we are fated for no deeds other than those accomplished in the jaws of Morkai."
YOU"What foe is capable of besting you in combat? Your wounds were truly terrifying."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That evil spirit wounded me, too."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Your pack seems to have led an entire ship's crew to their deaths."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."
WoundedUlfar nods in agreement, his face grim.
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."
Wounded"By bitter paths comes wisdom, In wake of bloody losses and shattered dreams, Heavy thoughts weighing on its broad shoulders, It enters unbidden and takes a seat by your hearth."
YOU"Have you been thinking about your life?"
Wounded"About the future. Have you ever wondered what it means to be an Astartes? To know no other family but your brothers in battle? To know no other feast but the joy of slaying your enemies and extolling your fallen comrades? To know with certainty that your death will be terrible, brutal, and agonising — for time holds no sway over us, and no warrior of the Allfather has ever breathed his last in a soft bed."
Wounded"Death holds no fear for us, Aett-Vater. We have been eating at the same table since day one."
YOU"Have you been thinking about your life?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Perhaps something good awaits you in the future."
Wounded"Listen, Aett-Vater. When the Wolf Priests tested me, I went to the Gate of Morkai, a dark place where realspace and the thoughts of the Great Wolves intertwine like the tentacles of a kraken. Everyone who appears before the Gate is granted a vision, and mine was... a dark omen. I saw myself, in two guises — one as white as the moon, the other as black as the lowering sky. And the two were locked in combat."
Wounded"As for which me emerged victorious, that was hidden from my sight. But that is not what frightened me... The black wolf's gaze was fearsome, full of more pain than he could ever inflict himself. It drove him mad, turning him into a monster. And, as dark as he appears, I... recognise myself in him. After all, I was made for destruction, torment, annihilation. I am the more agile monster. Does that mean that, by the Allfather's design, I must drink this cup of pain to the bottom in order to fulfil his plan? I do not know." Ulfar looks at you, his expression inscrutable.
YOU"Have you been thinking about your life?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Perhaps something good awaits you in the future."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me, why are there no rhymes in your songs?"
Wounded"Rhymes are empty frippery. A saga must be alive. If the words happen to fall into a rhyme, well, that is grand. But to make your whole story fit neatly into such a pattern, you must either twist the truth in the service of beauty, or live your life for the sake of a rhyme. Neither is to a Wolf's liking."
Wounded"Our sagas are voices sounding through eternity. When we hear them, we do not hear stories — we hear the tellers, speaking their words to us now."
YOU"Have you been thinking about your life?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Perhaps something good awaits you in the future."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me, why are there no rhymes in your songs?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do you still believe you will find your brothers?"
Wounded"I will find them." Ulfar clenches his fists. "Probably not alive. But I will find them."
YOU"Have you been thinking about your life?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Perhaps something good awaits you in the future."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me, why are there no rhymes in your songs?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do you still believe you will find your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for your answers."
Wounded"You have a right to them."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."
WoundedThe splendour and monumentality of the chamber befit the solemnity of the sacrament unfolding within. As if performing an intricate dance, the servants of the Omnissiah move in time with the murmuring mechanisms, circling the massive Space Wolf while he stands utterly still. The scent of sacred incense fills the air, giving the sense that one is witnessing a great ritual.
Wounded"An Astartes needs very little. A cell and a table where I can perform the purifying rite on my weapon — that is all I require. But to keep the armour bestowed upon me by the Allfather in some shabby cubicle would be sacrilege. This chamber will do well for the vesting ceremony — there is good plasteel beneath the rich decoration and gilding. Yes, I am satisfied."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"
Wounded"It is time for me to don my skin again." Ulfar shrugs wearily, his body giving off heat and animal scent. One of the servants opens a casket containing contact unguent — it will be used to anoint each of the black carapace's neural ports marring the Wolf's skin. This sacred augmentation seamlessly fuses Ulfar's body with his armour and every fibre bundle of it.
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"
Wounded"I must return. My foe awaits me, and it would be dishonourable to retreat from this battle. But I will need help in the fighting."
YOU"You can count on me."
Wounded"I know, Aett-Vater."
WoundedUlfar nods to the servants, and in low voices they begin a guttural prayer. Shadows leap across the walls, twisting together in a majestic and savage dance. In the flickering candlelight, the sacred rite is performed — the Angel of the Emperor is clothed in the armour of unwavering faith and His wrath.
end of branch
YOU"I shall consider it. There are other important matters that require my attention."
Wounded"I understand, Aett-Vater. But my pack's saga must be sung to its end."
WoundedUlfar nods to the servants, and in low voices they begin a guttural prayer. Shadows leap across the walls, twisting together in a majestic and savage dance. In the flickering candlelight, the sacred rite is performed — the Angel of the Emperor is clothed in the armour of unwavering faith and His wrath.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"This does not seem like a good idea to me."
Wounded"I am not saying it is a good idea. But it must be done, Aett-Vater."
WoundedUlfar nods to the servants, and in low voices they begin a guttural prayer. Shadows leap across the walls, twisting together in a majestic and savage dance. In the flickering candlelight, the sacred rite is performed — the Angel of the Emperor is clothed in the armour of unwavering faith and His wrath.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for your answers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do you still believe you will find your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for your answers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me, why are there no rhymes in your songs?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do you still believe you will find your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for your answers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Perhaps something good awaits you in the future."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me, why are there no rhymes in your songs?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do you still believe you will find your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for your answers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Your pack seems to have led an entire ship's crew to their deaths."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."continues where this line first appears above
Wounded"I can still feel its claws in my chest. Frost shredding flesh... Wounds left by spirits are dangerous. They create a spiritual link between your body and its pernicious mind. The only way to heal such mutilations is to brew a potion from the blood spilt by their incorporeal bodies."
YOU"What foe is capable of besting you in combat? Your wounds were truly terrifying."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That evil spirit wounded me, too."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Your pack seems to have led an entire ship's crew to their deaths."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That evil spirit wounded me, too."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Your pack seems to have led an entire ship's crew to their deaths."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"We fight together. Do not forget that I am your Aett-Vater."
WoundedUlfar heaves a sigh, which seems to hang in the air between you. "You and I are different. Your way is to rule and build, while mine is to destroy and chase down prey. Such is the Allfather's plan, and in that plan, my death on the battlefield is an expected and joyous event, while your death would be premature, sorrowful, and damaging to many other lives."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You did not do all that well on your own."
Wounded"And it grieves me. Alas, my enemy, whoever they were, proved too swift, and my thoughts were in turmoil. The air of that world reeks of something foul. Not of corruption... but crime."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now we can safely say that you are not cursed — you almost met your end in battle."
Wounded"But it eluded me once again. And there would have been no glory in such a death — I could not even tell what I was fighting against, and I had not found my brothers."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Do not ever steal from me again, or force my soldiers to die saving you."
Wounded"I... understand. And I will pay you a bloodgeld for the fallen, Rogue Trader. The deaths of your warriors will be paid for with the deaths of your enemies."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I am glad you survived, Ulfar."
Wounded"I always survive."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You stole my shuttle."
Wounded"I needed it." Ulfar looks at you with the mild surprise of someone who has rarely had to grapple with the notion of personal property.
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"We need to discuss what happened."
Wounded"My mouth and ears are at your disposal."
YOU"Why did you decide to go to that world alone?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Did you find any trace of your brothers?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not your usual self. You seem more sombre."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look around the chamber] "I am pleased that my servants found a fitting shrine for your armour."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are the servants doing?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What will you do now?"continues where this line first appears above