Knight Worlds - Questor Imperialis Knight Worlds: Knight Worlds in direct service to the Imperium are typically ruled over by one or more Noble houses, each with their own heraldry, insignia, traditions and character. Though often hidebound and intractable on matters of honour, the Noble houses make for powerful allies, and when they send their Imperial Knights to war, the enemies of the Emperor tremble.Questor Imperialis Knight Worlds vary enormously in appearance. Bleak, mountainous wastelands, hard-edged idylls of deep forests and rolling plains, airless deserts dotted with hab-domes, primordial wildernesses of volcano-studded jungle, ocean-locked island worlds and countless others all support knightly civilisations.Yet as much as each of these worlds differ, and as much as those differences have done to shape the societies that inhabit them, certain similarities hold true across virtually every Imperial Knight World in the Emperor's realm.All Imperial Knight Worlds are feudal, divided into fiefdoms or whatever other local term is given. Each of these territories is ruled over by one or more Nobles, its people labouring, farming, herding and producing in his or her name. In return, their knightly rulers offer them protection from whatever threats may descend from the stars.Each Knight in turn owes their allegiance to a high-ranking local leader, most commonly known as a "baron" -- though, again, local terms are myriad. Whether they be a marshal or a countess, a seneschal or a marchioness, each of these local rulers ultimately owes their allegiance to the High Monarch of their world. On some Knight Worlds, each baron may be the head of a separate Noble house.On others, a single Noble house holds sway across the entire planet. These mighty martial entities are known as the "Great Houses," and include such ancient institutions as House Terryn, House Griffith, House Hawkshroud and House Cadmus.The cultures of these worlds can vary hugely, from repressive patriarchies or matriarchies to martial meritocracies in which any Noble can rise to command if their lance arm is strong enough. Most sustain large-scale farming and mining operations. Combined with relatively low population densities and a lack of heavy industry, this ensures that the Imperial Knight Worlds have remained comparatively unspoilt despite millennia of Human occupation.Of course, in such a dark and dangerous age, many have been scarred forever by the horrors of all-out war, and even the most apparently paradisical world may harbour mutation, sedition and madness -- dangers that its rulers must watch for constantly.The word of each world's high king or queen is law. It is certainly true that Noble houses may engage in a degree of politicking, and in extreme cases may settle their disputes through knightly jousts or even border skirmishes. Yet when the world's ruler issues the call to war, it is a source of endless dishonour to refuse their summons. Setting aside all other responsibilities, the Nobles link themselves into their Thrones Mechanicum, awaken their mighty Knight suits and march out to join the endless war for the Imperium of Man.In truth, it takes very little provocation for a Noble to mount their Throne. Not only is the heady rush of such martial power at their mental command an intoxicant in its own right, but it is also the antithetical remedy to the tedium of courtly life.The ancient traditions and rituals of the Noble houses might have done much to stave off the corruption of Old Night, but they have also become sprawling affairs, and the few solar hours not consumed by such ritual observances are inevitably spent seeing to the needs of the serf classes or dealing with matters of state.Thus the Imperial Knights take to the battlefield the first chance they get, departing in their towering steeds amidst much fanfare and celebration. Whether answering a call for aid from an Imperial commander on campaign, responding to the distress call of some neighbouring world, or setting off on a crusade to avenge a perceived slight against the tenets of the Code Chivalric, the Knights march out in formations known as "lances." Often their armies will consist of a handful of such formations led by a sufficiently powerful baron.When the peril is truly great, the High Monarch will lead the march in person. At such times, they stride to war at the head of their "Exalted Court," a gathering of the highest ranking of the planet's Knights. Sometimes these are the closest of the ruler's personal household: cousins, siblings, uncles and the like.Other Exalted Courts are made up of the entire world's lesser Noble rulers, who set aside their own seniority for a time to fight at the side of their liege. Whatever the case, these exceptional Knights are terrifying to behold on the field of battle, their mastery as warriors and commanders second to none. When the Exalted Court leads a planet's knightly lances to war, Imperial victory almost inevitably follows.