Cult of the Howling One

Pankratz explained how some believed the cult to be a sect of extremist Ulricans, others that they're a bunch of bandits, but within Ostland, there exist a number of traditions concerning lycanthropy. There is nothing innately chaotic or evil about the ability to change into the form of a wolf, and there was a strong tradition of this amongst the Thurini and early Ostland nobility. It is likely that Levudal was a werewolf. The early werewolf was linked strongly to worship of natural spirits, particularly the wolf. These were called Wulfen, and it is from a corruption of this term that the River Wolfen and Wolfenburg are both named. Whilst not innately chaotic, they were very susceptible to the call of chaos and their hunger for blood was easily corrupted by the followers of the dark gods. There also were other lycanthropes, introduced via immigration from Norsca and Kislev. bringing with them shapeshifting beings that were believed born of Ulric’s unions with mortal women. They too were also able to take
the form of man or wolf. The Norscan Ulfwerenar, also called Olricsbarn, the children of Olric, thus began to replace the wulfen in the same manner that Kislevite worship of nature spirits displaced the earlier Ostland beliefs. Again, whilst not innately chaotic, the ulfwerenar are particularly susceptible to its lure.

Finally, there is a third form of lycanthropy and worship of the wolf spirit, which is tainted by chaos. There are werewolf creatures within Ostland that are indeed chaotic and the worship of the wolf spirit to them is now a fearful sacrifice to an aspect of Khorne.
So, the description of the cult as a single unit reflects an assumption of there being a single organisation, rather than a reality. In actual fact, the cult is a disparate group of individuals worshiping different aspects of the same spirit, together with a number of simple bandit groups that have adopted the cult’s name as a front, as well as an Ulrican fringe Cult.