40K Pulp

I’ve encountered many strange and awe-inspiring things on my travails through the stars. Space Marines, those called The Emperor’s Angels, are high on that list. Though I can only count on one hand the number of times I’ve witnessed them in person, I have heard and recorded many second hand accounts of those otherworldly warriors who defend the Imperium of Man.

The Chapter that I find most fascinating from all the accounts I’ve heard are the Space Wolves. They aren’t like other chapters. They are a species unto themselves, beating to the sounds of their own drums and howling into the void at friend and foe alike. I approve of this attitude, even if what I say may be construed as heresy. 

Most curiously, they appear to be one of few chapters that enjoy alcohol and drink it in abundance. As someone with an interest in old Terra beverages, this sparks my fascination as well. For the Space Wolves exhibit a primal, wilder soul than their cousins and I can imagine them carrying on ancient traditions from thousands of years ago. 

A Space Wolf that comes to mind who would embody these old drinking traditions based on what I’ve heard from my sources is one Ulfar Thunderlung. And so, I will recount this Space Wolf’s saga through the medium of his alcoholic preferences.

Storymaker Rhubarb Mead 

Space Wolves brew their own liquor called mjød on their home planet of Fenris. Some might call it misfortune whereas I say I have had the good fortune to try a sliver of this fabled brew and live to tell the tale. Mjød is made from plants that could be fatal to normal people if a full batch were ever to be drunk.

I believe the ancient ancestor of this mjød to be mead, a honey-based drink that old tribes and cultures of Terra drank for pleasure. In my extensive research, I’ve come across a brand and type of mead that I would see Ulfar enjoying. The brand is called Storymaker and the type is rhubarb mead. 

This fantastical beverage sports a kraken on its label and from what I’ve heard, Thunderlung was fond of hunting krakens in his youth on Fenris as a seafarer. Perhaps this would make him feel nostalgic for that time and lead him to drink the Storymaker rhubarb mead in The Great Hall of The Fang, the fortress-monestary of the Space Wolves, toasting his brothers and his own impressive saga. 

Wolfsbane Blue Label Vodka 

The wolf is at the centre of the chapter who call themselves the Vlka Fenryka in their own language. The wolf is their religion, their power, their fear, their soul. Ulfar is no exception and follows that doctrine to a tee. It’s why I could imagine him being drawn to a strong spirit that captures the strength and dignity of his gods like Morkai the guardian wolf of the Gates of Death.

A drink to embody that is perhaps Wolfsbane Blue Label vodka made in a wild place called Australia. My research has unearthed that this particular beverage was made from Australian wheat and had a smooth taste. 

Iron Wolf Hotscotch Butterscotch Flavoured Whisky 

To stick with the wolven theme and potent spirits, Thunderlung may take an interest in the products of a brand called Iron Wolf. Not only does the name evoke the steel and strength of his chapter, it celebrates the tale of a real Siberian Grey Wolf called Luna who lived at the distillery.

A drink of choice from Iron Wolf would be the Hotscotch butterscotch flavoured whisky because of the intrigue surrounding the flavours. A sweet and spicy taste came with extra fire courtesy of Texas peppers.

Poetry Vodka

Another tradition of the Space Wolves that makes them different from other chapters is that they seem to take on names that describe great deeds of valour or become an extension of a specific trait. These names are potentially how they truly perceive themselves. Ulfar’s Thunderlung moniker is an example of this.

From what I’ve been told, he got this name from his tireless ability to roar in the face of his enemies and to recount the sagas of his fellow warriors. Thunderlung may carry the title of skjald, a kind of oral historian that makes sure the stories of his people live on.

Poetry vodka is a fitting drink to describe and channel Thunderlung’s skjaldic tendencies. The brand was started with the idea of vodka being able to release poetic musings and inspire whoever drinks it. 

Valhalla Herb Shot

In my research into the tribes of Fenris, I’ve found several names that echo the ancient vernacular of Old Terra clans in far northern regions of the world. A word like Valhalla, a hall where the dead went to feast and celebrate, is remarkably similar to the Fenrisian term Klajhalla and the concept of the Upland. 

My sources have told me that Thunderlung is a staunch venerator of the dead and observes all these traditions. In honour of that lore, he would gravitate to Valhalla Herb Shot. A bitter liqueur made from two herbs called Angelica and Artemisa, these two herbs are steeped in legend.

Take Angelica. One story claims it was used to cure plague when an angel in a dream inspired its use. Perhaps this was a future vision of an Emperor’s Angel? Then there’s Artemisia, an ingredient that’s key to making the spirit absinthe that can conjure lucid dreams and may have connected psykers to The Warp thousands of years before such a term was understood. 

Montelobos Tobalá Mezcal 

A final note that I wish to include in this dispatch is that Ulfar Thunderlung spent time serving on the vessel of the Von Valancius Rogue Trader dynasty. Given a Rogue Trader’s obscene wealth and expensive proclivities, I don’t believe it’s a jump in logic to say that Thunderlung could have been supplied with a wide range of old and exotic beverages by the Rogue Trader.

With that in mind, I choose to imagine mezcal, a primordial liquor of Mexico, being a potential drink that Ulfar could try and there is none more fitting than Montelobos. Translating to mountain of wolves, this would surely remind Ulfar of his home and his brothers.

The type Ulfar could access due to the influence of the Rogue Trader would be the tobalá edition because of the premium quality of the agave used to make the spirit. In their heyday, tobalás took between 12-15 years to grow. Alas, I fear in the grim darkness that chokes our galaxy that such plants have not been able to survive but that a Rogue Trader dynasty would horde such a precious resource 

Still, Thunderlung would take pleasure in sipping a complex spirit tasting of the earth and the leaves that speaks to his feral animus.

– Michael Deguisa, writing the dispatch with the distinct suspicion that somewhere in the void, Ulfar Thunderlung is carousing and drinking with a new saga upon his lips.