Knight Errants

> "*We are the Knights that fight in the Great Crusade, we who clad ourselves in armour and swords to brave the darkness that surrounds Mankind. We will spread our beliefs, our virtues across the stars, for the Imperial Truth speaks reason. For the Emperor!"*
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> —Knight-Lord Caralix
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The **Knight Errants** are one of the twenty Space Marine Legions created by the Emperor of Mankind, they were the XIIIth Legion before being reunited with their gene-father; Eraciles on the planet of Sepronius during the Great Crusade and being named after the Knightly society that their Primarch grew up in. The Knight Errants served as one of the foremost Legions, serving with discipline and tact in the name of the Emperor of Mankind.

At the core of the Knight Errant tactics lay at calculated shock attacks, to wither the enemy down with powerful charges or supply lines, then to unleash the full power of a Errant Company. While not as physically strong as their cousins in the Honor Bound, the Rune Warriors & the Warriors of Waitangi, they are certainly the most patient and planning.

## History

### Founding

The XIII Legion was formed at the end of the Unification War, along with the rest of the Legiones Astartes. They were responsible for the final subjection of the Techno-Barbarian nations and helped complete the final chapter of the conflict. Drawn from the gene-seed of Eraciles, these Astartes were exceptional warriors among the Legiones Astartes. As the Treaty of Mars was formed between Terra and Mars, and the imperium of Mankind was formed, the Legion would be launched into the stars alongside the other forces of the Imperium to begin the Great Crusade.

### Great Crusade

The XIII Legion would go nearly six decades into the Great Crusade, going from battlefield to battlefield and campaign to compliance. They were sourly focused on the objective, but never going too far to lose themselves to the battle thrill. Being a focused, closely tied fighting force. They were at the forefront of many major conflicts that highlighted the Great Crusade, such as the *Solitude Compliance.*

#### Solitude Compliance

> Main Article: Solitude Compliance
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The *Solitude Compliance* was a major campaign undertaken by the XIII Legion during the third decade of the Great Crusade, venturing far westward of Sol into what would become Segmentum Ultima(?). Solitude was a planet embedded deep with the most hated enemies of Mankind, the Greenskins. The Legion was tasked by Terra to take the planet, exterminate the Orks and prepare it for colonization by Imperial Citizens, the Irony about it is that Solitude was a ruined Knight World. This added injure to the XIII, given how they had such close ties with the Tech-Priests and the Knight Houses, the XIII Legion would make landfall and begin a total-scale ground war against the Orks.

 File:Knight.jpg  At first, the XIII Legion was proceeding on schedule. It had captured the ruined foundries and favorable positions across Solitude's northern hemisphere. But all that early luck turned against them when the Orks were edged up by their constant need for battle and began organizing and began a massive counter-strike. The Legion was pushed into the planet's capital '*Lucia(WIP)',* and prepared to dig in. When it appeared that the initial vanguard force of the Legion would be driven from the world, as the Voidships in orbit were dueling Ork voidcraft. A miracle appeared, as if it was always planned! New ships arrived from the warp, bearing the sigil of Imperial Knight House *'WIP'* . The ships began dropping *Imperial Knight-Paladins* to support the XIII, and that was the beginning of the end for the Greenskins as the Paladins Battle-Cannon began ripping apart the mass of Green that surrounding the battlefield and cased them to flee the field.

 File:Imperial Knight.jpg  The arrival of the Paladins, spared on the XIII courage to come from the defensive fortifications and charge out to meet the Ork Horde in close-combat. It would be a whole solar week before Legion-Master Caralix claimed victory by slicing the head off the Ork Warboss and breaking the moral of the Orks. The planet would be reclaimed, the Ork presence exterminated and the Imperial Knights have reclaimed their world and garnered the respect of the XIII Legion. This would have a profound impact further alone the Great Crusade.

At the beginning of the Great Crusade, the XIII Legion numbered over 160,000 Legionaries with the Solitude Compliance cutting that down to 130,000. The casualties were seen as acceptable and worthy of remembrance, and was the profound moment in the Legions history that would change how they fought. After the Compliance of Solitude, the XIII would launch themselves towards other battles and warfronts to make a name for themselves, entering a sort of battle temperance.

### Sentry Stars Compliance

> Main Article: Sentry Stars Compliance
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The Sentry Stars were a series of stars crawling with Orks, they were named the Sentry Stars later on after the discovery of the Primarchs, as they boarded Sepronius. The Stars contained numerous planets, both colonized and in complete ruins because of the Orks lust for total warfare. The XIII Legion thrust itself again into the heat of combat, this time it had the assistance of Imperial Knight Titans (4 Knight Errant-Class) for heavy firepower.

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### Primarch Reunion

> Main Article: Reunion of Father and Son
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Eventually, the psychic foresight of the Emperor managed to dim down the location of a Primarch. It would take him further pass the Sentry Stars, most recently cleansed of Ork presence by the esteemed efforts of the XIII. The Emperor would sail towards the developing world of Sepronius. After initial scans of life signs and for technology, the scans revealed a thriving society, with limited growth of technology. The relatively unity of this world pleased the Emperor, and he would land on the planet and disguise himself before wondering into the largest city on the planet ot investigate and learn about the culture of the planet.
He would learn, from legends and what could be considered mythological is that 40 years ago, a falling star revealed the greatest being known to the planet. A child became a man, and the man became the Knight-Master of Sepronius after defeating the ruling trinity and establish a feudal empire from which the man ruled from his Knight-Chapter of *Selecuid(WIP).* The Emperor would then casually seek audience with the Knight-Master, confident that it was indeed another of his lost sons.

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## Organization

Eraciles had introduced to the XIII Legion of the Space Marines the organisational structure he had learned from the Knight Orders on Sepronius. Eraciles's tenets of loyalty, discipline, upholding of Valor and self-efficiency were incorporated into everything the Legion did. Compared to the other Astartes, the XIII were a collective of honor-bound, traditionalists that fell in line with the ways of Sepronius in waves. The Grey Legion took the name of *Knight Errants* to represent the broader planet in its culture.

The Knight Errant had a normal organization, but as their Primarch reformed the Legion into a proper force of valor, changes were made. One of these included that each Company, no matter how small or trivial would respect the meaning of Valor. To show unwavering courage in the face of impossible odds, and then overcome or die with honor. **(WORK IN PROGRESS)**

### Legion Command Hierarchy

The XIII Legion operated under a strict hierarchy where each warrior's responsibilities and duties were known at all times. Eraciles had overall command of the Legion, deciding its disposition and strategic objective, as well as taking command of whichever fleet or war zone he was present in. Beneath the Primarch were the Knight-Masters, each of whom led approximately 10,000 warriors and a contingent of the Legions Voidfleet. Assisting them were the cadre of senior officers and commanders, the Knight-Lieutenants(WIP) . Each chapter of the Legion contained ten companies each in turn of 1,000 *Legiones Astartes* commanded by a captain, who was responsible for the tactical deployment, efficiency and training of his warriors.

While the captains and Knight-Lieutenants of the XIII Legion governed the crusading armies of the Legion, it was the parallel system of trenches and their own Lieutenants who governed the many military institutions of the Legion. The Lieutenants had the authority to govern the armies of the Legion, fell under the authority of those on the Knight Council and were most often the ones to use extreme methods to break those that disobeyed the Virtues of Seperonius

B*eneath is a list of all the hierarchy command structures that make up the Legion's Commanders*

#### The Knight Council

The Knight Council represented the closest advisers to the Lord-Paladin, Eraciles convened the Council around a stone round table, placed within the Fortress Monastery on Sepronius. The Council consisted of vital officials, such as the Company Lords, the Chief Liberian, and the Tech-Marine, and later on included an official representative of the Imperial Knight House that came to inhabit Sepronius following the Imperium integration.

 File:Knight Errant..jpg
* *Primarch Eraciles 'Lord-Paladin' - Eraciles is the Primarch of the Knight Errants, a warrior peerless in the ways of chivalry and valor. He was brought to Sepronius as a newborn, and rose to become the First Knight of the Order of the Stone and the Conqueror of Sepronius prior to the reunion with the Emperor. Placed at the forefront of the XIII Legion, he renamed the Legion as the Knight Errant and has lead the Legion in the ways of the sword and virtues. He chairs the Knight Council.*
* *Legion-Master (Knight Master) Caralix - Caralix represents the highest pillar of authority, serving as the right-hand to the Lord-Paladin. He is a Terran Marine, forged in warfare and holds extreme standards. After the reunion with his Primarch, Caralix was the first to follow in the ways of Sepronius, and such inspired the Legion to follow suit. Caralix is the Company Lord of the 1st Company.*
* *Knight-Lord Remos Shieldbearer - Remos Shieldbearer is the Company Lord of the 2nd Company, a stoic marine that earned his seat on his unswerving loyalty to the Primarch. He once lead a counterattack against a massive Ork Invasion upon an Imperial world and drove it off with serious causalities, but rather then reprehend Remos for the losses...he was given a seat on the Council, as he upheld the virtues of the Legion's battle code to the letter.*
* *Knight-Lord* Aporias - *Aporias is the Company Lord of the 3rd Company. Aporias is considered the banner-bearer of the Knight Errant, always entering battle with a power sword and the Legion Standard Banner in the other hand. A native of Sepronius, he came from a small-time Knightly order that was defeated in honorable combat by the Primarch years before the Imperium came. He joined the XIII Legion and earned his place with his dedication to the texts, and has lectured many on the virtues during combat!*  File:Libarian.jpg
* Chief Liberian *Ahacaon - Ahacaon is the Chief Liberian of the XIII, that specializes in handing the threats of the supernatural. Ahacaon is the strongest Liberian in the Legion, a Sepronius native that developed this ability after is argumentation. He is currently apart of the Council as the Liberian representative. Another interesting thing is that while he is a psyker, he can still channel the powers of the warp without fear of corruption. It is unknown how this is possible, or perhaps it is the strong residual purity in the XIII Gene-Seed.*
* *Lady Anya - Lady Anya 'Whispers' is the representative of House Amroth. House Amroth is the residing Imperial Knight House that settled on Sepronius following the Solitude Compliance, and rather then stay independent they choose to integrate into the XIII Legion, giving Sepronius the designation of both Knight-World and Legion Homeworld. Anya enters battles in a Knight-Paladin Knight Armour.*
* *Knight-Captain Castiel - Castiel is the Knight-Captain of the 4th Company, serving underneath Knight-Lord Fanius. Castiel earned a seat on the Council due to his usage of the code and the swift judgement he presents to any that break it. He is infamously considered the Knight Executioner.*

## Recruitment

The XIII Legion normally recruited from the populace of Terra, and other compliant worlds if the need arose to keep its strength up. But after Sepronius joined the Imperium, the Legion began to elusively recruit from the Errant Sector, which included Sepronius and several other worlds that held the same knightly culture. In order for an aspirate to become a full-fledged Astartes in the ranks of the XIII. He has to pass several tests, both of skill and determination.

### Rites of Virtue

The Rite of Virtue is considered a mental test, for the aspirate to be trained, beaten and made an example off in order to purposely get the Aspirate to break loose from the code. This is the least rite practiced in the legion, due to it producing ill-results that most often result in the Aspirate death, or the Senior Knight embarrassment when he cant break down a simple Aspirate. He is then given a sword and shield, and thrown into an arena like battle against a feral creature captured from a death world. His task is to kill the beast and recover its heart, and show no fear (WIP)

### Rite of Strength

The Rite of Strength is ground-zero for all Aspirates. For the XIII, Strength and Determination were the core concept to understanding Valor in the Battlefields of the Great Crusade. Sometimes, an Aspirate would be charged to wrestle down a full-grown Astartes, contrary to the Rite of Virtue, the Aspirate is often defeated or killed with a single punch from the Astartes. Those Aspirates that manage to pass the Rite of Strength end up becoming great warriors in the Legion.

## Combat Doctrine

Contrary to most of the Astartes Legions that fight the Great Cursade. The Knight Errant are perhaps the most odd-branch of the bunch. They practice millennium-old traditions dating back to the early days of Terra, knights armored in Mark II and a power sword to their side. More often then not, they prefer the close encounters rather then ranged warfare (however, this doesn't mean they haven't resorted to that kind of warfare before to win a battle. But it causes the Senior Knight in Command to be questioned by the Legions Hierarchy for his breaking of Virtue).

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### Battle Cry

The Battle Cry of the Knight Errant, however simple to many is impacting to the Errant's sense of duty and determination to the objectives of the Great Crusade. Sometimes, when charging into the tide of Greenskins on a battlefield, the leading Knight-Captain would yell out 'For Sepronius! For the Imperium!' before tossing himself into the fray against brutal Greenskins. In another battlefield, they would yell out 'Only in Death, does our Valor ascend'. It comments on how the Knight Errant honor their traditions so much, that in the aftermath of a major battle. The corpses of slain Errant are gathered and the deeds of the slain are written into the secretive *Book of the Citadel.*

## Appearance

### Heraldry

The Heraldry of the Knight Errants was based on the stone table, from which the Knight Council convenes and decides on important internal legion matters, such as adaptation of new virtues, battle plans, promotions and less often the development of new tactics that contradict traditions.

## Culture

### Beliefs

The Knight Errants believe in the determination and preservation of Valor, to the near point where they would come to blows with even other Legions. it is not uncommon for them to throw out tactics that could easily win a battle, such as Exterminatus. They distaste the subtly trickery, and prefer a frontal honest battle, sword to sword, bolter to bolter. They believe so strongly in their ideals that it would be almost impossible to waver them from an issue if one arises.

## Relationships

### Imperium of Mankind

The Knight Errant faithfully serve the Imperium of Mankind. Believing that though sacrifices, the Great Crusade would prevail in uniting Mankind across the stars, after being reunited with their Primarch. The Errant became a strictly knightly fighting force, conquering world after world at a pace.

#### Emperor of Mankind

The XIII see the Emperor as the greatest leader of Mankind, with Eraciles his chosen son to lead the Knights of the Imperium to battlefields eternal.

#### Astarte Legions

Generally viewed as friendly rivals, exceptions below.

***Tyrants -** Viewed as* childish and unworthy of being Space Marines

***Dragon Lords -** Viewed with friendly intent as rivals in the ways of Knights.*

***Grim Messangers -** Viewed with mistrust and suspension*

## References

* Image Reference (Warhammer 40K Wikia, 2018)
* Image Reference (Deviantart, 2018)
* Image Reference (Pinmg, 2018)
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