Grey Knights - Grey Knights Heraldry: The Grey Knights have endured for over ten Terran millennia, their Chapter built upon a web of ancient traditions and oaths. These sacred customs and doctrines are reflected in the weapons they use, the armour they wear and the heraldry they bear, each one a part of their proud history. Grey Knights heraldry is most often depicted upon the portion of their grey Aegis Armour known as the heraldric shield.Red, white and black are the common colours of almost all Grey Knights heraldry, these being colours used by the first grand masters when they forsook their Space Marine Legions and embraced the sacred duty the Emperor had given them. Each icon and colour has its own meaning within the Chapter; skulls indicate the quelling of powerful Daemonic foes and swords battlefield honours, for example as shown above. Crenellated lines, divisions of colour and which colour is ascendant all represent a battle-brother's position within his brotherhood, the colour, direction and gradient of the line or division each having their own meaning.Grey Knights will sometimes incorporate symbology of their allies into their heraldry if they are especially deserving. In this case the dominate skull above bears the icon of the Inquisition, showing a great victory won over a potent Daemonic foe but with the aid of one of the Holy Ordos. However, it is rare for these symbols to be adopted as there are few allies worthy enough to earn the respect of the Grey Knights. Sometimes a battle-brother will take the icon of an ally which has been exterminated or mind-wiped in the aftermath of battle. Thus the only reminder of their existence remains upon the battle-brother's heraldic shield, a forlorn reminder of their service to the Grey Knights while they lived.The icon of a sword is a powerful symbol within Grey Knights heraldry. This can represent an act that preserved the battle-brother's squad, turned the tide of an important confrontation or brought about the destruction of a most hated foe. A white sword on red as above is a symbol of the Emperor's mercy, an act considered inspired by the Master of Mankind's benevolence. A black sword on red is a measure of the Emperor's wrath and is granted for acts of vengeance. Rarer are red swords on black that show the Emperor's righteous rage, and the madness that faith can bring. A Grey Knights battle-brother who bears a red sword has been driven to the edge of his duty and managed to claw his way back, bloody but alive.The stylised symbol of the Imperial Aquila shown here is a sacred icon to the Grey Knights, and only its most proven heroes bear it upon their heraldry. It represents a great deed of service to the Emperor, something so significant as to eclipse all his other glories and take the dominate position upon his shield. Typically only grand masters, brother-captains and Paladins will be seen wearing the Aquila dominate, but in rare cases a Justicar or battle-brother will bear the symbol should they be worthy of the honour. The nature of this rare service is as varied as the battle-brothers honoured by it, the only commonality their devotion to the Emperor and the favour of the grand masters.Symbols can be overlaid on a Grey Knight's heraldry to indicate a combination of meaning and the deeds they represent. The white sword blade driven through the horned skull shown here depicts an act of the Emperor's mercy that brought about the destruction of a powerful Daemonic creature. While the Grey Knight will have destroyed the beast, it may have been at the expense of an innocent life, and is thus considered an act of benevolence. These deeds define a Grey Knight, and often a battle-brother will not further modify his heraldry after such an event, to show that at this moment he was most true in his duty to the Emperor.Sometimes a Grey Knight will be called upon to step beyond the realms of reality to hold back the minions of the Dark Gods. This can mean physically stepping into the Warp itself, walking upon Daemon Worlds or standing under skies that weep the very stuff of Chaos. A battle-brother that lives through such an ordeal might mark it upon his heraldry as a stylised flame as shown here. A skull, sword or other marking will be depicted wreathed in this flame, showing that the deed in question was committed in a place where the power of Daemonkind held sway. It is accepted that a victory won within the Warp is far harder than one won in the material realm. A battle-brother who can best his foes while bathed in the dark radiance of the Chaos Gods is a great warrior indeed.