Wolf Guard Braegr Bearclaw

"Into the breach, brothers! Show these beasts what it means to fight the sons of Russ!"

-- Braegr Bearclaw during the final assault of the murder-make at Anayat Secundus

Here is the first of the ten Wolf Guard Terminators I will have in my Space Wolves army. Based on the Arjac Rockfist model, I added twin lightning claws to produce Braegr Bearclaw.

There are a lot of nice details on the Arjac model. And he's huge! Noticably bigger than a regular terminator. The pose of the Arjac model lent itself very well to the lightning claws and I'm really pleased with how the pose turned out.

The model wasn't the best cast, but I'd already returned my first Arjac due to a missing nose. Most of the details were fine, but the face still wasn't the best. But I decided to quit while I was more or less ahead and stick with this model.

Let me introduce you to Braegr.

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Braegr was always a giant amongst Astartes. A great hulking bear of a man, Braegr would always win wrestling bouts in the training cages of the Fang due to his formidable strength. Now, clad in an ancient suit of terminator armour, Braegr is more of a giant than ever.

Taken from a nomadic tribe of Iron-wrighters, the Scorri, who scour Fenris for new deposits of metals brought forth during the planet's turbulent summers, Braegr showed early promise at the forge's anvil. By the age of ten the burly youth could hammer out wares the equal of some of the tribe's foremost master metal workers.

One day as part of a party scouting for ore deposits, Braegr and his kin were assailed by a viscous Plains Wolf. Not known for their prowess as warriors (despite the quality of their blades), the Scorri had no answer to the aggressive beast. However, Braegr fought like the bear he would one day take his name from. But the wolf mauled him terribly and struck him a mortal wound.

Wyrd was kind to Braegr that day, and it happened that this wolf was being tracked by a Wolf Priest on a hunt. He noticed the spirit of the strong lad as he watched his prey slaughter and feast on the Scorri, but thought no more of it. After stalking up to the beast and snapping it's neck, he noticed that the boy's thread was not yet cut. Feeling that this lad looked strong and deserved another chance at life, the Priest took Braegr to the Aett.

This Priest's decision proved well-founded indeed. Braegr excelled as he rose to seize his place amongst the Sky Warriors of Fenris.

While out hunting himself one day, by pure chance Braegr happened upon his old tribe. Although he knew he should not, he could not help but approach them as there is no small amount of curiosity within him. He sat with the leading tribesmen around a fire and told them his name and his tale. Members of his family still lived and were gladdened to know that their great great uncle had not perished. Indeed, the anvil and tongs Braegr used as a youth were still in their possession and they insisted that Braegr take them as a gift along with a banner of the Scorri tribe. To this day, Braegr wears these beloved items on his armour, and woe betide any foe who dares to harm them.

Braegr was honoured with a place in Jarl Rikkard Threadcutter's Wolf Guard during the final assault on the ork-held Forge World of Anayat Secundus. Braegr was leading his pack of Grey Hunters in the centre of Rikkard's frontal assault on the greenskin's stronghold. It was his role to breach the gates and hold the line for the arrival of Rikkard and his Wolf Guard.

This he did, tearing down the orks' crude barricades with his bare hands and assailing them with a great but controlled rage. Rikkard arrived, slaying orks left and right as Braegr and his pack held the line. But the numbers of the greenskin were greater than anticipated and the warriors began to get overwhelmed.

The orks, either in their exuberance or stupidity, gravitated towards the Wolf Lord and his Guard and they were badly mired in the press of bodies. It was then that the foul leader of the zenos, a hulking warboss by the name of Facesmasha, presented himself, encouraging the aliens on, or slaying those that fled.

Facesmasha was the primary target of the assault and Braegr saw that his Jarl could not hope to reach him, so took it upon himself to slay the beast.

Taking two of his most trusted Grey Hunters with him, he forged a path through the foe to confront the warboss. Fashsmasha likewise smashed his way towards Braegr, never one to refuse such a clear challenge. The three warriors confronted the giant ork, but two were slain leaving Braegr alone, his boltgun empty and his chainsword too clogged up with the flesh of his enemies to work. The control he held over his rage finally slipping, Braegr dropped his useless weapons and hurled himself at Facesmasha, incredibly knocking the brute onto his back.

Braegr pounded the ork's face again and again, in delicious irony of his name, until his gauntlets were cracked. The mighty bear unleashed within him, Braegr closed his hands around the warboss's throat and squeezed with all the rage and might within him.

Surely as Fashsmasha's life drained away, the look on Braegr's face would have showed even an idiot creature such as a greenskin the folly of their existence, and the righteousness of Russ and the Allfather.

Their leader dead by the bare hands of this terrible warrior, the orks lost their momentum and were cut down as they fled. But despite the battle being over and his foe dead, Braegr's grip on the warboss's neck still did not yield one iota such was his burning rage. Braegr himself is not ashamed to admit that he was nearly lost to the wolf within that day. But at his Jarl's command he released his grip and such an extreme display of might and prowess in battle was duly rewarded with a place in the Wolf Guard.

Now clad in terminator armour and wielding two fearsome wolf claws Braegr is terrible to behold in the thick of battle. Highly respected amongst his fellow Wolf Guard, in the quieter corners of the Fang it is whispered that Braegr may one day rise to lead Fyf should Rikkard fall in battle before this great bear's thread is cut.

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Thanks for reading this. I have four more painted Wolf Guard Terminators to post about, so check back soon.

Any comments, let me know!