Leyna of the Russ - Primarch of Fenris

On the frozen world of Fenris, a girl child was born in a small village of savage warriors. At a very young age, all of her tribesmen knew that there was something strange about her, a weird mystic power. They took her before the seidkonur, the village wise women who had powers of magic and prophecy. The wise woman taught the little girl the basics of magic, which she mastered with frightening ease. The wise woman started to fear her young protege, seeing a great and unnatural power within her that she had never seen before. Under the advice of the wise woman, the village cast out the young girl, named Leyna, to freeze in the terrible winter of Fenris.

As young Leyna stumbled through the endless fall of snow and subzero temperatures, she believed that all was lost. Though through her force of will, her latent psychic ability, she was able to stave off the cold. She called upon the magic that the wise woman had taught her, rituals that were meant to cause subtle effects, but were a thousand fold more potent at Leyna’s command. Spells that were meant to slightly alter the weather could still a snow storm when used by Leyna. With her great power she could sustain herself in the worse blizzard, could call on animals to aid her, could command the rocks and trees to do her bidding. With time, she came to realize that the magic came not from the rituals but within herself, that through her force of will she did these things.

As time passed, Leyna grew far more powerful and further detached from human society. She commanded a pack of Fenrisian wolves, could see what they saw, think what they thought. She could assume the form of a wolf or heal injuries with her mind, could move earth or stone with a thought or look into the future. She wore primitive garments simple fur, slept with her wolf servants in cave of stone that she carved from the mountain cliffs. She would stare into fires brought force though the power of her mind, seeing visions of the future and of far off places.

In the deep nights of winter, while she slept and sometimes even awake, she felt strange voices calling to her, terrible monsters from beyond this world that beseeched her service, promising her wealth, pleasure, power. She craved none of these things and rejected their offers. She even used her power to driving them away. She even began to use her powers to protect her former tribe, calming storms, keeping away the worst predators. Eventually people from her former tribe or other tribes came to realize that there was a strange woman who lived in the forest, a witch with great and terrible power, a wild woman of the woods. Some brave souls would seek her out, asking for favors or advice. Leyna would look into the hearts of the petitioners, seeing if they deserved her help, accepting payment from some who could afford it and showing charity to those who could not.

Eventually, the king of the Russ, Thengir, heard of the witch and her wolves. He sought her out for help him with his wars. She looked into the heart of the king and decided that he was worthy, so decided to help him in his battle, looking into the future and telling him of what he must do to win the battle. Thengir was grateful and bestowed many honors upon the witch, making her both beloved and feared by the people.

Eventually, the Emperor felt a great psychic presence coming from the remote and inhospitable planet. He came to investigate, recognizing the emanation of one of his lost Primarchs. When he landed on the planet, he was immediately met by the witch, a woman wearing primitive furs with long shaggy blonde hair. She had foreseen his coming and was ready to meet him, though she did not admit that she could not entirely see how her future connected to this strange and powerful man. She knew that his power was immense, perhaps as great or greater than her own, she also knew that he was an enemy to the monsters that spoke to her in the night, making her more willing to trust him.

The Emperor asked her to come with him, to be one of his generals in the fight to save humanity against the forces of darkness. Leyna pondered this proposal, agreeing only if he could defeat her in a battle of psychic might. The two fought, mind to mind, for many days, the earth shaking and space itself seeming to bend as their wills were locked in mortal combat. Eventually, Leyna relented, the Emperor’s power proven to her beyond any doubt. Leyna entered into the Emperor’s service and became on of his most loyal, if somewhat unpredictable and feared, allies.

When the Emperor feared that Magnus had turned towards Chaos, he sent Leyna to capture him, one of the only psykers among his servants who was powerful enough to resist the will of Magnus.