House Marrok

House Marrok crest

House Marrok color scheme

**House Marrok** is a Questor Imperialis Knight House, located on the pleasure world of Epirus in Segmentum Obscurus. They are an honor-bound house with strong cohesion to one another. Their unity and trust in each other makes them a vicious force on the battlefield, though each knight alone is a force to be feared.

Known also as "the house of wolves", House Marrok is the Grand House ruling over a number of lesser houses that share their homeworld. While most knights remain on Epirus, groups of knights will venture into nearby sectors to earn battle honors and spread the house's influence.

When not fighting the enemies of mankind on distant worlds, the knights remain busy by patrolling mining tunnels to protect laborers from the carnivorous mega-fauna native to Epirus. Knights stave boredom and tedium of a life at court by keeping vigilant on battlefields foreign and domestic.

## History

### Settlement of Epirus

Epirus and it's smallest moon was located and settled by humans in early years of the Dark Age of Technology. It's smallest moon, Edessa, would go on to be terraformed, settled, and later built into an industrial world with half a dozen knightly houses splitting territories. The planet-side settlements that were built on Epirus eventually developed a feudal system made up of over a dozen independent factions. These factions evolved into knightly houses that would have occasional border skirmishes or even wars for more land control. House Marrok, having built in a mountainous region with a hazardous atmosphere, was scarcely contested with. The territory they controlled was only good for mountain mining, though the resources within were highly valuable. Attacking their territory would be a fools errand as the mountain ridges form a natural fortress too difficult for any amount of knights to assault. These border disputes would carry on for thousands of years and Terra became a thing of myth.

### A World Divided

Midway into the 30th Millennia, passive aggression between the independent feudal houses caved in and war broke out across the entire planet. Borders became wastelands of destruction and death as the war absorbed the planet and it was plunged into what came to be called "The Red War". For 1000 years, knight and peasant alike battled opposing houses in the cities and wastes of Epirus. The war reached Edessa as well as the moon was razed, its surface partially glassed by orbital bombardment and geography rewritten by crashed void ships. House Marrok remained defensive during the war, and was the first to reach out to form alliances with their neighboring houses, forming the Khoran Alliance. More alliances began to form and the conflict became a three-way war for control of the Epirus. The reason for the war was lost through the generations that fought and died in the conflict, many not knowing what peace even was.

As the closing years of the war came, The Koran Alliance had the advantage as the house of wolves finally entered the offensive after their enemies number was crippled by generations of nonstop war. During this time, the great crusade reached Epirus. The Emperor himself had arrived to reunite the world with the rest of mankind among the stars. He looked unto the battlefields and described the conflict as "a war fought on the backs of the fallen." Generations of war left many knight houses distrustful and feral. The Khoran Alliance was the only faction rational enough to reason with the god-emperor and agree to unification. With the help of the Emperor's legions, The Khoran Alliance annihilated the other factions in 7 standard days. Many of the smaller houses were forced to side with oppressive neighbors that opposed the Emperor, few other houses surrendered to the alliance and their new overwhelming allies and such houses swore to the emperor as well. A small number of houses that defied imperial rule fled the world and are presently nomadic Renegade knight houses that defy submission to any god or greater power. The Red War ended with Epirus as a newly unified imperial world, and in its aftermath the Emperor declared House Marrok the ruling house of Epirus.

### The House at Present

In current times, during the dark imperium, House Marrok defends imperial worlds from demonic assaults and xeno expansion efforts. The house of wolves also regularly deploys war parties to foreign battlefields where imperial forces are in need, especially if the request comes from a trusted ally.

## Homeworld

The Aeros System resides in the south of Segmentum Obscurus and hosts a single habitable planet known as Epirus. The world hosts a number of various biomes, though the dominant continent is primarily steppe and tundra highlands spotted with copper sulfide crystal formations . Vast oceans separate a half-dozen continents, with dense arctic polar caps and tropical regions around the equator. The surface of the world is covered with agricultural fields while the depths of the world are laced with vast mining tunnels. The planet is rich with Copper and Iron deposits which have been mined for millennia, with no visible end to the resources availability.

Because of the abundance of vital resources on Epirus, the mechanicum sought to take advantage of the plentiful world. Agents from forgeworld Lucius arranged a deal with the monarchy of Epirus to turn Edessa, one of the planet's moons, into a new forgeworld. The deal was made that the local knight houses would maintain stewardship of the moon and that Epirusian forces had first claim to the products of the forgeworld. Reluctantly the agents of Forgeworld Lucius agreed, and Forgeworld Edessa was born. The manufactorums were hastily created and began production of ammunition, Astra Militarum vehicles, Imperial Knight walkers, and god-engines of all shapes.

The minerals mined from Epirus feed Forgeworld Edessa with its abundance of copper and iron. It’s surface is littered with Copper Sulfate crystals, which fill the air with microscopic particles, turning naked flames a blueish green when exposed to the planet's air. These conditions make the environment inhospitable to any who have not grown up on its surface and built up a resistance to the toxic air over generations of exposure, along with chemical resistance treatments. The knights of House Marrok are likewise modified to endure the elements of Epirus, along with other modifications. Some questoris knight titans within their court are modified to have reverse jointed legs, known as the “Lycan” upgrade, giving them a slightly longer stride and better command of rocky terrain.

Epirus is ruled by a number of Questoris Imperialis houses under the rulership of the grand knight house, House Marrok. Meanwhile, Forgeworld Edessa is stewarded by a Questoris Mechanicus house under the rulership of Marrok. The planet side houses maintain borders between territories under their rulership and divide their territory into fiefdoms, given to the house knights. The high king of house Marrok commands all the martial forces of Epirus and is responsible for the welfare of its people. Though they share a world, each knight house has different cultures and customs that they uphold within their territory.

While the houses of Epirus may have different cultures, the world uses a naming convention to denote a knights nobility. Non-nobles names are a given name followed by the name of the parent of the same gender. Knights on Epirus rarely use their "surname" once they are knighted, using instead their house name. Between their given name and house name, a knight is either called "ehr" "von" or "ex". Each represents their standing to the house ruler. When a knight is of blood relation to a ruler of the house, or married into the ruling family, they use "ehr" before their house name. If they are not of blood relation to the royal family, they use "von" before their house name. The last term, "ex", is used for freeblades who originally came from Epirus, regardless of blood connection to royalty, or for woman that merry into another house. For female knight who merry a knight from another house, they maintain both house names using either "von" or "ehr" before their new house, and "ex" before their original house name. The order of this name becomes given name, von/ehr new house name, ex former house. For example; Evelyn ehr Marrok ex Vulpis.

### Culture

The Nobles ruling over Epirus are as proud as they are merciless. The carapace of their knights is painted grey with fields of blue, representing the mountains and copper sulfide respectively found in their territory. Their symbology hosts a winged wolf, a Pterolycus, which is a creature native to the world, though the symbol found on their armor is a wolf's head. The house knights are well attuned to aggressive combat as they encounter threats daily when vassals patrol the treacherous mining tunnels exterminating the aggressive Terra-Wyrms, massive carnivorous serpents native to Epirus that burrow through the planet's crust and attack laborers when aggravated by the sounds of mining machinery.

Knights of House Marrok refer to themselves collectively as "The pack", in reference to a pack of Pterolyci, though the lesser houses call them “the house of wolves”. Their combat and social tactics reflect these titles, operating as one large machine in concert far beyond the level of a typical house. The knights will not willingly act in a way that would place one knight in mortal danger beyond the normal parameters of battle. Victory together, or no victory at all. Among their numbers is a group of veterans who are given the title "Venator". These warriors are considered the king's elite knights and act as his personal kill team and bodyguard, and bear the icon of a wreathed cross on their breast plate. The leader of these veterans is given the status of Primus, equivalent to a Barron but his carapace has parallel blue stripes instead of the white worn by the exalted court. When a knight becomes a venator, they are given a title by their superior or the monarch themself. Knights of Marrok are often underestimated and their foe always learns the hard way that their judgments were wrong. Oftentimes this lesson is learned by a knight from a lesser house during a duel to the death.

The culture of house Marrok is one of honor and trust, and uses a primarily traditional court of nobility. To betray the pack is a dire offense resulting in a life of dishonor and torture, death being too kind of a punishment for traitors. The bonds formed between the knights are on par with that of strong family ties, creating a powerful sense of cohesion and faith in one another. More than official status and bloodlines, these knights usually address a person on personal merits and honors, though the court members of other houses are treated with default respect.

Ascension to the throne isn’t limited to men, exemplified by King Dorian's eldest daughter, Caitlyn ehr Marrok, being his kingsward. To ensure bloodlines continue, Epirus promotes a polygamous society, allowing lawful marriage of 1 man to no more than 4 wives. While a high king may have 4 queens, a high queen may have 1 king and 3 queens. In the case of a High Queen, all children born from her marriages are considered of her blood and as such may carry on the legacy of the house. Infidelity and affairs are punishable by lifelong interment into the dungeons. The high ruler’s spouses are not part of the exalted court by default unless by their own merits, and rulership does not pass onto a spouse at the death of the high ruler. Rulership immediately transfers to the eldest child, or if one does not exist, then it goes to an election among the exalted court via anonymous votes. If there is a living knight who has the champion honor from a grand tournament, they have the right to claim the vacant throne before a vote is called.

Unlike so many other houses, the king's steed does not get passed down to the next ruler, but instead will be inherited by the next monarchsward. Though the former king's steed skips a generation, the current ruler of House Marrok wields the iconic relic blade that is the symbol of authority “Azure Lunaris”, an exceptionally crafted 2-handed longsword with a blade sheathed by crystal. The blade is always sheathed and carried in hand as a physical metaphor for the burdens a king must bear for his people. The current king's knight titan is likewise fitted with a pair of artifact weapons; “Blue *fang*”, a knight sized power sword lined with blue crystals capable of cleaving the leg clean from a reaver titan, as well as a relic Laser Destructor. These 2 weapons change the classification of the knight to a unique variant, the “Cavalier”.

Similar to many knight houses, The squires of house Marrok are trained the knightly ways while riding upon armiger warsuits. They spend most of their training in the squire yards learning how to operate their machines as well as tactics, protocols, and swordplay. When a squire shows potential to become a full knight, they must first spend a solstice (3 terran standard years) as one of two squires to a pledged knight, shadowing them from the knightly courts to the throws of war. It is the knight’s responsibility to introduce the squires to the realities of being a sworn knight of the house. During the Ever Light, a Biannual festival, the Squires are chosen for these roles and assigned to a knight. Direct descendants of the house ruler are either assigned to the king, queen, kingsward, or herald. During the following Ever Light, if a squire has proven themselves a capable knight, they may undertake the ritual of becoming during the events of the Festival. Should they successfully commune with their throne mechanicum, their heraldry is added to the panoply of their knight's pauldron and left knee plate. Lastly, they are loyalty sworn to their liege as part of the knighting ceremony.

Once a squire becomes, they are gifted sulfite blade, a weapon whose blade has crystal grafted into its metal. These weapons come in different styles and shapes, from hammers and axes to swords and halberds. These power weapons are a symbol of the knights nobility and readiness to battle the enemies of the imperium.

Knights of House Marrok attire consists of their formal wear and armored body-glove. The formal attire of a knight is a gray regency tailcoat with awards worn on their breast. Any knight with blood relation to the high monarch instead wears a blue coat, this includes the high monarch themself. Members of the exalted court wear golden epaulettes while Barons wear silver epaulettes. White strips on their right sleeve cuff mark the number of campaigns they have participated in. On the left sleeve cuff, a golden lance is sewn in for each time a knight has led a lance in combat. Male knights wear loose-fit navy colored breeches with black riding boots, while female knights have the option of wearing a skirt if they wish. All Knight pilots wear a half cape over their right shoulder that bares their personal heraldry and combat honors. During times of conflict, Knights wear their armored body-glove which includes a built in mag-lock for their sulfite blade at either their hip or back. The armor plates of their body-glove are mostly grey, with their heraldry on their right shoulder. While wearing grey isn't boisterous or lively as the vibrant colors of other houses, The grey honors the mountains that is home to the knights.

## Notable Campaigns

### The Red War

A bloody period of one thousand years of civil war on Epirus. hundreds of knight houses were either destroyed or absorbed by stronger houses. The war ended with the Emperor's intervention and destruction of the alliances that denied the oath of unity with the imperium. In the aftermath of the war, House Marrok was named the ruling house of the planet.

### The Horus Heresy

During the Horus Heresy, House Marrok deployed a crusade of knights to the imperium's aid. Their battles often put them against renegade knight houses that allied themselves with the traitor Horus. Knights of Marrok proudly fought beside Astarte and titan legions alike. On many occasions, the house of wolves found themselves fighting besides the sons of Rogal Dorn and the titan Legio Viatorum and Legio Praesagius. For their service to the imperium, the knights of Marrok won countless battle honors, relics, and influential allies within the imperium.

### Terra-Wyrm Infestation

Late M29, an infestation of terra-wyrms plunged Epirus into a state of emergency. The knightly houses banded together to fight back hoardes of mega-fauna seeking to devour the people of the world. The conflict lasted several months before the creatures returned to their subterranean domains.

### Aeros Invasion

In the 37th Millennia, a tendril of Hive Fleet Ouriboris descended on Epirus. The rulers reached out for aid, but primarily dealt with the threat on their own. The invasion struggled to counter the overwhelming number of knight titans, but eventually the knights advantage diminished. When the house of wolves and the lesser houses needed aid the most, a fleet from the Iron Wolf chapter of the Adeptus Astartes joined the fight. The space marines specialized in fighting tyranids and afforded the noble houses the means to earn victory. In the wake of the failed invasion, a new allegiance was formed between the imperial forces.

### Battle at Sky Spire

When the Great rift tore through the materium, Epirus felt the loss of Cadia and immediately mustered a crusade of knights to journey to Terra, assuming their aid will be much welcome. Every house on Epirus spared a large number of noble knights and an army of supporting forces. These forces would mostly survive traveling through the great rift and reunite with the rest of the imperium. Along their travel, a call for aid was heard from the world of Zudaxis. The report stated a cultist incursion was overwhelming imperal forces, meaning a dozen knights would be more than enough. Barron Niall von Marrok lead a dozen knights of house Marrok along with a pair of freeblades, *Scarlet Rose* and *Hallowed Tempest,* to the desperate world. Barron Niall would arrive to discover a commandery of Adepta Sororitas were already fighting the cultists who had support from Heretic Astartes of the Alpha Legion. Having underestimated the threat, Niall sent a request for reinforcements of an addition 2 lances. Between Niall's knights, The battle sisters and the newly born living saint Deanna, and a host of reinforcements, the world was won. Niall rejoined the Epirusian Crusade fleet which went on to join in the Indomitus crusade. Earning further honors, relics, and influences for House Marrok and it's subordinate houses, just as they had during the heresy.

### Indomitus Crusade

Following the Battle at Sky Spire, Barron Niall rejoined the Epirusian Crusade fleet which went on to join in the Indomitus crusade. Earning further honors, relics, and influences for House Marrok and it's subordinate houses, just as they had during the heresy war. More than 400 Epirusian Knights mustered to Roboute Guillimen's side to fight back the tides of heretic and xeno.

### Da Mek WAAAGH!

In the years after the Indomitus Crusade's conclusion, the knights of House Marrok and its lesser houses answered a call for aid from an Imperial Guard regiment. The world they defended was being invaded by the Meklunk clan of greeskins lead by Warboss Gragutz Mek'toof, a warband notorious for smothering their foes with waves of ork meks. The knight's deployment was on a never before seen scale as squadrons of drop keeps deployed simultaneously around the imperial line, delivering hundreds of imperial knight walkers that quickly pushed the front line back, affording more knights and battalions of Epirusian Royal Guard to land. One of the lesser houses, House Maelstrom, deployed their knights into the nearby ocean to conduct an amphibious assault on the Ork's flank as they retreated from the front line. Their knights were specially modified to operate under water as their territory on Epirus is primarily ocean. The landing was a success, but the battle from that point was hard pressed as the orks had amassed scores of xeno walkers. The knight houses divided their number into lances to press a continant wide front line against the greenskins. Halfway into the advance, a large number of House Vulpes knights had conspired together to abandon the front line in order to hunt the warboss and hasten imperial victory. This eagerness saw all but one of the knights destroyed as Gragutz rode on his prize creation, a Gargant with power on par with an imperial Warlord Titan.

The survivor of the ambitious attack was Evelyn Von Vulpes, a younger knight with a close friendship to Dorian ehr Marrok, the Queensward of House Marrok. After hearing of Evelyn's dire situation, Dorian rallied two dozen knights including the Venators, to launch a rescue operation. Two days of non-stop marching and the rescue operation resulted in perfect success without a single knight being lost. Evelyn as well as a barron of house Vulpes was rescued and returned to the imperial lines. In the closing days of Da Mek Waaagh, High Queen Arlain ehr Marrok would give her life to create an opportunity for her son, Dorian, to deliver the final blow against the warboss's Gargant and win imperial victory. Before taking his place on the throne, Dorian would see the greenskins fully purged and any trace of the foul xenos burned. When the houses returned to Epirus, Dorian was named king and shortly after took Evelyn as his first of four wives.

### The Kingdom War

Two decades after Dorian took the throne, Epirus was invaded by renegade Knights of House Umbra who once called Epirus home before the imperium chased them off to the stars. Their king was being manipulated by an infamous chaos knight known as "The fallen King", a former king of house Terryn monarch long thought dead. Many knights were off world answering calls for aid, this left the houses of Epirus with just enough strength to evenly match the traitor knights. High King Dorian tried to request aid from the Order of The Scarlet Rose, but the chaos knight had employed dark apostles to block any transmissions from leaving the surface. In response, Dorian sent Evelyn ehr Marrok, along with the Venators, to personally request aid from the sisters. The battle was in a stalemate for weeks before the requested reinforcements arrived. The force of two commandries was enough of an edge to grant the knights a chance at victory. The war was finally decided in a duel between The Fallen King and Dorian. The high king of house Marrok was challenged in the fight, but eventually won the battle. With the fallen king dead, the remaining renegade knights of house Umbra fled to the stars once more, and those left behind were brutally purged from existence. The Kingdom war claimed the lives of many knights, a couple of house rulers, and one of the high king's wives.

## Notable House Nobles

* **High Queen Arlain ehr Marrok** (Deceased) - The former high ruler of Epirus, and highly respected leader. Though not Dorian's birth mother, she took great care to raise him as a proper Queensward. Arlain was seen as a caring and loving mother to all of Epirus, few held contempt for her. However, she was equally known for her proficiently with her Knight Cavalier, *Canis Glora*, Which is now piloted by Kingsward Caitlyn ehr Marrok.

* **High King Dorian ehr Marrok** - After the death of High Queen Arlain, Dorian was named High king of Epirus in the aftermath of Da Mek Waaagh. He is the current ruler of Epirus and husband to 4 queens, though 1 is deceased. Arlain was not his birth mother, but looked up to her proundly preparing as the Queensward to take the throne. He Pilots his great-great-grandfather's knight, *Canis Dirus*, as his grandfather's knight was completely destroyed in combat. The king works hard to maintain the honor his ancestors earned for the house, and regularly invites imperial allies to enjoy a respite at the pleasure world.

* The King's Children and their mother (Oldest to youngest):
	+ **Rolan** (dead) - Evelyn
	+ **Caitlyn** - Lilliana (dead)
	+ **Derrin** - Cylaina
	+ **Lehna** - Ashley
	+ **Antony** - Ashley
	+ **Holone** - Cylaina
	+ **Vernon** (dead), Athen, Cordin - Evelyn
	+ **Kyra** - Ashley

* **Queen Evelyn ehr Marrok ex Vulpes** - Originally from House Vulpes, Evelyn was Dorian's first love. They married shortly after Da Mek Waagh and birthed their first kingsward, Rolan ehr Marrok. Saddly, their son would die at a young age in a tragic accident at the firing range for the house knights. The house Herald of the time, Jakar von Marrok, died trying to protect the boy, but they and a dozen others perished. After a few years of mourning, Evelyn would birth triplets; Vernon, Athen, and Cordin , though the mantle of Kingsward now went Dorians second born child, Caitlyn. All of the triplets would grow up to become Knight Scions, though Vernon fell during the Kingdom War when his lance was cornered and destroyed. Evelyn vowed to no longer birth children, afraid to see more of her offspring die.

* **Queen Cylaina ehr Marrok ex Leonar** - Born in house Leonar, Cylaina was pressured by her Barroness to attempt courting Dorian while he was still a Queensward in order to earn house Leonar honor. However, she had little interest in him and saw him as "the queens puppy". She looked down on his talent as a knight pilot, but was surprised to see his potential shine when Cylaina witnessed him in combat. Under her own volition, she attempted courting the young knight, but was turned down several times. She continued to fight at his side during battle to earn his attention. It wasn't until the Indomitus crusade and a near death experience that the Queensward accepted her for who she was. Cylaina would later become his second wife. She is mother to two of Dorian's children, Derrin and Holone. Her daughter would grow up to be not only a knight scion, but an honored Venator of House Marrok.

* **Queen Lilliana ehr Marrok** (Deceased) - Dorian's third wife, Lilliana, is the birth mother to the kings eldest living child and Kingsward, Caitlyn ehr Marrok. During the Kingdom War, Lilliana was killed by the Fallen King as a means to sunder Dorian's resolve. His attempt almost worked, but the exalted court was able to stop Dorian from making rash and foolish decisions.

* **Queen Ashley ehr Marrok** - The fourth queen in Dorians court, and his most trusted administrative advisor. Though not of royal blood or from a high ranked noble family, she was taken in by the royal family when the death of her father left the young lady without a family. While not an imperial knight scion, she excels as a politician and advisor to the king. She is regularly left as the figure of authority when Dorian leaves the planet, unless its a political mission, in which case Ashley travels with him. She is mother to 3 of the kings children; Lehna, Antony, and Kyra.

* **Kingsward Caitlyn ehr Marrok** - Caitlyn is daughter to King Dorian and Queen Lilliana. She was barely 7 years of age when her elder brother, Rolan, died and she inherited the title of Kingsward. She studied hard and followed her fathers example, just as Dorian had when he was a Queensward. Caitlyn was only 15 when she underwent the ritual of becoming, making her the youngest knight scion in Epirusian history. By the age of 20, Caitlyn had already earned several battle honors, including a leading role in a crusade along the Adeptus Astartes Fulminator Chapter.

* **Herald Jonathan von Marrok** - A long time friend of Dorian's, Jonathan has more than earned his place as Herald. While barely older than the king, he offers a wealth of wisdom drawn from his knight, *Emissary of Fangs*, one of the oldest god-engines in the knight house's armory.

* **Gate Keeper Ewan ehr Marrok** - As Dorian's cousin, Ewan grew up as the kingsward's best friend and trusted ally. They entered battle together countless times and worked as a perfect pair. Ewan specialized in ranged combat and Dorian was a keen close quarters pilot. After Dorian ascended the throne, Ewan was bestowed the title of Gate Keeper and offered posession of a relic Porphyrion Knight. Ewan only has 2 wives with 5 children, one of which is a knight scion.

* **Master of Justice Rowan von Marrok** - Had his father allowed him to chose his own path, Rowan would have become an Arbite agent or a commissar. His thirst for strong morale and justice is insatiable. His battle merits and brutal martialing of Epirusian forces made him a prime candidate for the role as Master of Justice. The exalted court frequently jokes about his authoritarian behavior, often calling him "Knight Commissar" in private conversation as a jest.

* **Late Herald Jakar Von Marrok** - Jakar was the last Herald of the late High Queen Arlain, and the first Herald to High King Dorian. He saw to it that the ascension of rulership was done correctly. He was a large man with undying loyalty to the crown and its people. He took the former Kingsward to observe the Knight weapons range and instruct the youth on the power of a knight. He died trying to protect the Kingsward in a tragic accident on that day. To this day, he is an honored hero and servant of the late queen Arlain.

* **Lord Primus Connor von Marrok, "The Horde Breaker"** - Earned his title and right to pilot a cerastus castigator knight titan when he single-handedly repelled a massive horde of ork infantry from crossing a bridge until reinforcements arrived. It's said that when he his warden out of ammo the emperor gave him more, though there's no proof to the statement.

* **Princess Holone ehr Marrok, "The Wise Wolf"** - Though a child of the king, Holone, or Holo, earned her title during a skirmish against the Tau. She read the enemies tactics and countered them flawlessly, allowing herself and a lance of knights to execute a well planned counter attack that lead to the ultimate defeat of the xeno forces. The exalted court unanimously petitioned for Holo to be made a Venator for her superb abilities as a tactician.

* **Lady Joann** **von Marrok, "Titans Bane"** - Fearless and zealous, Joann's first instinct in combat is to be the spear tip that pierces her foes heart. Though quick to enter combat, she is patient to wait for the most opportune moment to strike. She earned her title when she led her lance against a traitor titan group. With skill and ferocity, Joann critically damaged and crippled two heretic Ravagers and three Feral titans, making them vulnerable to imperial ordinance. Joann survived despite the odds and was given the honor of joining the Venators.

* **Lord Lawrence von Marrok, "Doom's Peddler"** - Calm and calculating, Lawrence is unparalleled in his evaluation of friendly imperial assets and the tools available to the opposition. Lawrence is known for his knowledge of the Imperium's enemies as well as his ability to negotiate with allied forces. He earned his title when he successfully negotiated a joint operation with imperial allies that saw no benefit to comiting their forces. Furthermore, he is known for striking bargains and deals with the most stubborn of Imperial factions, notably the Adeptus mechanicus and the Inquisition.
* **Lord Barron Niall von Marrok** - Niall lead a dozen knights in the defense of Zudaxis against chaos cultists and Alpha Legion marines. Still serves the house as one of the oldest living scions of House Marrok. His testimony for Palatine Deanna of the Adepta Sororitas aided in her official recognition as a Living Saint.
* **Sir Garith Von Marrok** - Born among commoners, Garith rose through the ranks of the Epirusian Royal Guard. He eventually joined the ranks of the Queens guard, Elite warriors tasked to protect the royalty of Epirus whos members are on par with Kasrkin troops. During a joint campaign with the Black Templar space marines, Garith's squad was deployed to rescue then queensward Dorian. While most of his squad was killed, Garith and one other were credited with the successful resue of half a dozen knight scions and their throne mechanicums. After these event, High Queen Arlain bestowed nobility to the veterans and granted them the use of Armiger warglaives. Garith would later earn his knighthood while fighting beside High King Dorian, and after decades, would be chosen to be the personal guard, or Honor Knight, of Queen Evelyn.

## Notable Knights

* ***Canis Dirus*** - Questoris Knight Cavalier piloted by King Dorian ehr Marrok.
 Armaments: Relic Laser Destructor, *"Steelfang"* power blade, Siegebreaker Cannon

* ***Dusk Hunter*** - Acastus Knight Porphyrion piloted by Sir Ewan ehr Marrok.

* ***Dawn Breaker*** - Dominus Knight Castellan piloted by Sir Rowan von Marrok.

* ***Emissary of Fangs*** - Questoris Knight Warden piloted by Sir Jonathan von Marrok.

* ***Canis Gloria*** - Questoris Knight Paladin piloted by Lady Caitlyn ehr Marrok.

* ***Silvermane*** - Cerastus Knight Castigator piloted by Sir Connor von Marrok.

* ***Pyrewolf*** -Cerastus Knight Acheron piloted by Lady Holone ehr Marrok.

* ***Rampant Fury*** - Cerastus Knight Lancer piloted by Lady Joann von Marrok.

* ***Ferrum Lupus*** - Cerastus Knight Atrapos piloted by Sir Lawrence von Marrok.

* ***Sword of Legends*** - Questoris Knight Errant piloted by Queen Cylaina ehr Marrok.

* ***Midnight Vixen*** - Questoris Knight Castellan piloted by Queen Evelyn ehr Marrok.

* ***Crimson Maw*** - Questoris Knight Paladin piloted by Sir Garith von Marrok.

* ***Shadowbringer*** - Questoris Knight Gallant piloted by Sir Stefon von Marrok.

* ***Lycan's Vengeance*** - Questoris Knight Crusader piloted by Lady Natalia.

* ***Stormwolf*** - Questoris Knight Megaera piloted by Sir Zaynevon Marrok.

* ***Howling Judgement*** - Questoris Knight Styrix piloted by Sir Neirmal.

* ***Oath of Wrath*** - Dominus Knight Preceptor piloted by Sir Aldrin ehr Marrok.

* ***Keeper of Hunts*** - Dominus Knight Valiant piloted by Sir Guthrie von Marrok.

## Knight House Appearance

### House Colours

The knights of House Marrok wear primarily grey panoply and white Aquila's on black imperial livery. The armor panels are trimmed in a dull gold. The personal livery of each knights is a heraldry composed of a combination of blue, black, white, and/or red. Knights that married into the house of wolves use their original house's colors for their heraldry, some even retain their original personal livery.

The markings of the exalted court are painted with light grey instead of white. The spouse(s) of the high monarch, should they also be scions, don a single blue strip on their carapace. The Venator Primus wears parallel blue strips on their carapace.

### House Livery

The house livery is a martialed shield. The right half bearing the imperial Aquila. The left is grey with a white wolf head and a pair of diamonds. The wolf's head represents the Pterolycus, a winged specie of wolf native to Epirus, acts as the knightly house mascot. The grey coloration is representative of the mountains and stone that make the mountain ranges where the keep of house Marrok resides.

## Relations

### Allies

#### Lesser Knight Houses of Epirus

* **House Adder**
* **House Caeruleus**
* **House Caminus**
* **House Leonar**
* **House Maelstrom**
* **House Vulpes**

#### Astra Militarum - Epirusian Royal Guard

After the Red War ended, all the armed forces of Epirus unified under one flag to serve the Grand House of the planet. While primarily operating as a PDF, the Royal Guard are well equipped and trained to take the war to the enemy on battlefields near and far. Their arms and armor are manufactured locally on Forgeworld Edessa. The style of the armor resembles medieval plate armor but is as advanced as the equipment used by other guard regiments.

### Enemies

* **Renegade Knights**

* **Tyranids**

* **Orks**

## Notable Quotes

### By House Marrok

"*Chivalry and unity are proof that we are still human under the Emperors light.*"
— Late High Queen Arlain ehr Marrok
"*Quote*"
—Speaker
### About House Marrok

"*Quote*"
—Speaker