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Knight Warden - Canon Conflict: The original incarnation of the Knight Warden was provided in the supplement found in White Dwarf 126, UK edition. This account of the Knight Warden's history has largely been superseded by newer canon in accordance with Codex: Imperial Knights (7th Edition). Please note that the older background information is no longer considered canon according to the current iteration of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Knight Warden - Sources: Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus (8th Edition), pp. 55, 86Codex: Imperial Knights (8th Edition), pp. 62, 96Codex: Imperial Knights (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 16, 19, 21, 29, 33, 41, 47, 51, 56, 68, 95, 104White Dwarf Weekly 66 (02 May 2015), "Imperial Knight Warden," & "Parade Ground," pp. 4-7, 52-53, 59-60, 64-65White Dwarf 126 (UK), "Knights: Eldar & Human War Machines" by Andy Chambers, pp. 31-32, 39, 42
Knight Worlds - Knight Worlds: The Knight Worlds are Human-settled, technologically-advanced planets within the Imperium of Man that are home to the powerful, robotic combat walkers known as Imperial Knights. Knight Worlds are allied with both the Imperium directly and are also sometimes part of the demesne of the Adeptus Mechanicus.The Knight Worlds almost universally maintain feudal cultures and social structures reminiscent of the Terran European Middle Ages in the early 2nd Millennium AD. These planets are descended from venerable Human colonies first settled during the Age of Technology.Ancient oaths of fealty mean that the Imperial Knights that call these worlds home, and for which they are named, are sworn to protect their citizens. These oaths also require that the Knights fight against the Imperium's and sometimes the Mechanicus' enemies when called upon to do so. The Knight Worlds are ruled by feudal dynasties of "Nobles" called "Knight houses" because their members are trained to pilot the massive humanoid war machines that are the Imperial Knights.Many Knight Worlds are politically and economically linked with a nearby Mechanicus Forge World and their Knights are considered to be a part of what is known in High Gothic as the "Questor Mechanicus." Others remain completely independent of the Tech-priests' ambitions and serve the Imperium directly, their Nobles members of the so-called "Questor Imperialis."There are many hundreds of Knight Worlds scattered throughout the vast empire of Mankind. The bold explorers of Humanity's first interstellar expansion during the Age of Technology travelled far and wide into the galactic wilderness seeking habitable worlds or planets that could otherwise be terraformed to sustain Human life. Many of these exploratory fleets were equipped with Standard Template Construct (STC) technology that included the schematics for the Knight, enabling them to protect the colonies they established.More than fifteen standard millennia after their ancient ancestors set out into the stars, the distant descendants of these Human colonists dwell still on Knight Worlds scattered across the demesne of the Imperium. Though many knightly houses have risen and fallen over the ages, those that remain can trace their heritage back to a time before the birth of the Imperium, and are justifiably proud of their ancestry. Thus is every Knight World heavy with the weight of the past, regardless of its galactic location or level of technological advancement.
Knight Worlds - Coming of the Imperium: After five thousand Terran years, the Imperium of Mankind arose from the ruins of the Age of Strife. Under the guidance of the Emperor, Humanity returned to the stars and began the Great Crusade to reunite Mankind. Nothing was able to stand in the way of the resurgent Imperial armies, and soon, Human colonies on planets all across the galaxy were brought within the fold of the newly formed Imperium.When Rogue Trader Militant Jeffers rediscovered a Knight World, Chrysis, for the first time, he quickly realised the knightly houses could be valuable allies for the Emperor's armies. In his reports, he pointed out the Knights' many virtues, and emphasised the world's value to the Imperium as a source of born and bred warriors.The Administratum agreed with Jeffers' findings and set about finding the rest of the long-lost Knight Worlds. Although there were thousands of Knight Worlds at their height during the Dark Age of Technology, the vast majority had been destroyed or died out during the Age of Strife.Now, only several hundred survive, scattered all across the galaxy. Most of the Knight Worlds share certain features, hallmarks of the instructions followed by the original settlers. The Nobles themselves occupy sprawling walled strongholds, each a gothic, ancient structure of dusty, lifeless halls and corridors.Many are built on the same location as the first Human settlements on the planet and include at their core parts of the giant colony sublight starships used to transport the first settlers to their new worlds. They can vary in size from small keeps to entire cities bordered by vast outer walls.Huge farms or strip-mines surround the strongholds, providing foodstuffs and raw materials for local use and export across the galaxy; the colony ships' purpose was always to generate resources for Mankind. It is in these settlements that the vast majority of Imperial citizens on Knight Worlds live, with few venturing more than a dozen miles from their place of birth.In addition to these settlements, vast grazing herds of beasts wander through the wildernesses between the strongholds -- more often than not, these are huge reptilian creatures that were introduced to the planet as livestock in the Age of Technology.Packs of local predators will often pursue the grazing herds or attack the farms surrounding a stronghold, and it is the duty of the Knights to fight to keep them at bay. Even on planets with less ferocious flora and fauna, the Knights must be constantly vigilant in order to keep the herds and farms safe from alien raiders and rapacious pirates.
Knight Worlds - Horus Heresy: The golden age of the Great Crusade was to be cut short by the supreme act of betrayal known as the Horus Heresy, during which the galaxy was gripped by the most bitter civil war Humanity had ever seen. Across the nascent Imperium, rebels clashed with Loyalists for the fate of Mankind. Space Marines fought Space Marines, Titans fought Titans and, alongside them, Imperial Knights fought Imperial Knights.In those dark days, nobody was to be trusted and treachery was as much a part of warfare as bolter shells, Volcano Cannons and Drop Pods. One of the most horrific betrayals of the war occurred on the planet of Molech. As the Warmaster Horus led his armies to Terra, he left a trail of destruction in his wake hundreds of light years wide. His forces seemed unstoppable as garrison after garrison fell before his might, or changed allegiance and sided with the traitorous commander.It was on the planet of Molech that one of the most determined stands was to be made. Loyalist Titan Legions and over a hundred Imperial Army regiments and knightly houses stood ready to bear the brunt of the Warmaster's attack in an attempt to halt his inexorable advance on the Throneworld. When it came, it was like a hurricane unleashed upon the verdant world.Horus' initial assault devastated many cities and strongholds, and amongst the victims were Molech's rulers –- House Devine. Dispossessed and unable to fight back, the knightly house slowly succumbed to the temptations of Chaos. Over the following solar months, the insidious whisper of Slaanesh -– Dark Prince of Chaos and god of indulgence and excess –- spread through their depleted ranks. Their officers became lethargic, interested only in their sports, using their mighty Knight suits to hunt the towering reptilian beasts that stalked Molech's lush jungles.The seductive grip of Slaanesh grew stronger, as the Prince of Pleasure bent the force of his will to corrupting the Noble Devines. Soon, they met in secret cabals, performing depraved rites and ceremonies within the heart of the Loyalist camp. No act was too shameful or disgusting; the sensations of the moment became their only desire. When Horus launched a massive offensive, the Knights of House Devine committed an act of brazen treachery and turned on the troops who remained loyal to the Emperor.The Imperial forces found themselves caught in a trap, with advancing Traitor Titans to the front and Chaos Knights attacking their ranks from behind. This treachery allowed the Chaos host to punch through the Imperial defences, leaving them with no line of retreat. They were totally defeated, so brutally that only one in a hundred of the troops of the Imperial Army survived the campaign.Since that first betrayal, only a handful of knightly houses have been corrupted by Chaos, even when the Forge Worlds to which they owed fealty became part of the Dark Mechanicum. Presumably when the Warmaster was defeated, these Chaos-corrupted Knight houses fled alongside the Traitor Legions into the Eye of Terror, where they remain to this day.
Knight Worlds - Era Indomitus: It has long been assumed by the lords of Terra and their administrators that the great majority of surviving Knight Worlds have been returned to the fold of Mankind -- they are either paying the Imperial Tithe on those planets affiliated with the Imperium, or have allied themselves more closely with the Adeptus Mechanicus.However, the galaxy is vast, and those bold early explorers travelled far and wide. There is much that still remains unexplored by the Imperium, and it is possible that there exist some far-flung Knight Worlds that have not yet regained contact with Humanity.Since the catastrophic manifestation of the Great Rift, many loyal Knight Worlds have been cut off from the greater Imperium in the Imperium Nihilus. Dark forces besiege them from without, even as mutants and madmen rise up from within. Yet the Knight Worlds have been here before, and their traditions and rituals are purposely designed to stave off the terrors from without. Brave and resolute, they are lighting their watchfires once more, even as they despatch crusading lances of Knights to aid their neighbouring worlds and star systems. Not for twenty Terran millennia have the Knights been so desperately needed as champions and protectors of Mankind as they are in the Era Indomitus.
Knight Worlds - Knightly Courts: Even the smallest Noble house has a seat of power, whether it be a fortified tower upon an outlying moon, a slab-sided bastion looming over the house's fiefdom, mountaintop fastness, vacuum-resistant hab-dome, armoured cave-system or whatever else. The foundations of the largest and oldest of these sit upon the archeotech remains of the Long March generation ships themselves, deeply buried by the passing of millennia but still concealing secrets of ancient technology that the Noble houses guard jealously.Within the throne room or audience chamber of each Noble house, its rulers hold court. Ranging from a single Baron and their direct courtiers, to vast assemblages of Nobles, Bondsmen, courtiers and more, these gatherings observe the endless rituals of their world, deal with matters of rulership for the common folk, and politick constantly amongst themselves.The figures involved in such internecine intrigues are many and varied, from sages and advisors to Imperial preachers, tech-magi, Sacristan representatives, house militia officers and countless others. While marriage and the continuation of the Noble bloodlines is often regulated by formal arranged pacts, many Knights join themselves romantically and politically to a consort.These individuals may be the sons or daughters of other Noble families, high-placed members of court, or even -- in unusual cases -- other Knights of a different or lesser rank. What matters more than their origin is their incisive minds, their skill at courtly politics, and their dedication to being a societal power behind their Noble's martial throne.
Knight Worlds - Fallen Knight Worlds: Just as some Knight houses have become corrupted by Chaos, so too were their worlds transformed into horrific mockeries of their former glory. Where once the denizens of these planets had looked to their Nobles for leadership and protection, they were swiftly reduced to a terror-filled existence.The populations of entire cities were hunted for sport by their Knightly overlords. Fallen Nobles supplied tithes of living Humans to their heretical lieges to be used in sadistic rituals or the forging of daemonic pacts. Where once the would-be Knight pilot prepared for their duty over standard years of training, and proved their worth in solemn duels, they now engaged in competitive slaughters of their own subjects.Depraved cultures took root in every echelon of society on these Chaos Knight worlds. Teeming Chaos Cults worshipped the Dark Gods openly, Fallen Nobles competing to raise the greatest temples to the Ruinous Powers.The landscapes became pocked with charnel pits that overflowed with the corpses of defeated enemies. These planets that had been bastions of order throughout the Age of Strife metamorphosed into deep wells of anarchy from which the taint of Chaos seeped further into reality.
Knights-Errant - Knights-Errant: Knights-ErrantSpace MarineMalcador the SigilliteRegent of TerraIsstvan IIIHorus HeresystThese agents of the Sigillite were made up of an ever-expanding band of elite Astartes drawn from every one of the Space Marine Legions, Loyalist and Traitor alike, each and every one an exemplar of the Emperor's vision for the champions of Humanity.They were the pinnacle of the "Chosen of Malcador," a secret army sent to the far reaches of the Imperium of Man to prosecute the Sigillite's "Silent War" with the Praetorian of Terra, the Primarch Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists Legion and other missions the Sigillite determined vital to Imperial victory over the Traitors of the Warmaster Horus.The Knights-Errant were entirely dedicated to Malcador's cause, which transcended even the immediate strategic concerns of the Horus Heresy, and proved vital to all that would come during the subsequent Age of the Imperium after the Traitors were finally cast out.Eight of the Knights-Errant who possessed psychic abilities would form the nucleus and first leadership cadre of what would eventually become the Grey Knights Chapter of Astartes who served the Inquisition's Ordo Malleus as its Chamber Militant in the years after the end of the Heresy.
Knights-Errant - History: In the solar decades that had passed since the culmination of the Horus Heresy and the onset of the period referred to as The Scouring, tacticae  savants had identified a broad spectrum of categories into which many irregular forces of those conflicts could be placed.At one end of this spectrum was to be found the body of warriors known as the "Knights-Errant." Imperial scholars know all but nothing of this mysterious group, other than it was formed at the express order of Malcador the Sigillite.The so-called "Chosen of Malcador" included many individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, but his Knights-Errant were all Space Marines, and many of these were the scions of the Traitor primarchs who had refused to follow their gene-fathers into treachery and chose instead to renounce their Legion and serve the Imperium directly at its highest level. All cast off their original Space Marine Legion heraldry and wore in its stead the gunmetal grey of bare ceramite and the Sigillite's own icon as their badge.Little is now known of the highly secret missions the Knights-Errant undertook at the behest of the Regent of Terra throughout the Heresy, for many accounts have been deliberately suppressed, events went unrecorded at the time or reports were simply lost in the conflagration that descended upon Terra at the culmination of the Warmaster Horus' great betrayal.Certainly, the Knights-Errant fought alone or in small groups against key foes identified by the Sigillite and in some cases aligned their interests with those of other Legion forces, serving side by side with conventional Legiones Astartes units when deemed necessary.It is considered likely by some Imperial historators that the Knights-Errant may have played a key, albeit mysterious role in the unseen "Silent War" that was waged between Malcador and the Imperial Fists Legion's Primarch Rogal Dorn, for both found their interests frequently in opposition during the Heresy.As the Solar War gripped Humanity's star system of birth, the interests of the Sigillite and the Praetorian of Terra frequently clashed and while face to face the two remained cordial, if often coldly so, behind the scenes their agents and servants might very well have been murdering one another.The primarch believed the Horus Heresy would be won by erecting unassailable but conventional defences around the Sol System, the Throneworld of Terra and the Imperial Palace.But the Sigillite was convinced that covert operations in the shadows, up to and including select missions of assassination, would prove most effective in defeating Horus' rebellion.While both knew the other was utterly dedicated to the cause of the Emperor, they deeply disagreed on the means required to defend the Imperium from the Traitors' onslaught.Whether or not the Knights-Errant ever took up arms against other Loyalist forces is unknown, but it is certain that they undertook missions that furthered the long-term goals of the Regent of Terra at the expense of those of the Praetorian of Terra.
Knights-Errant - Crusader Host: At the conclusion of the Unification Wars, the Space Marine Legions stood upon the precipice of launching the Great Crusade, to depart the Sol System in a great many cases never to return.Before leaving at the head of the first great expeditionary fleets, each of the Legions mustered a party of Astartes who would remain on Terra and stand as their representatives before the Terran Council in all matters in which the Legions held a stake.In addition, they would serve as an Honour Guard to watch over Terra and all that the Unification Wars had won Mankind. Perhaps most importantly, they would record the names of those Legionaries who would lay down their lives conquering the great darkness beyond the light of Sol, so that no sacrifice would ever be forgotten.In accepting this honour, the Astartes of this so-called Crusader Host would be making an equally great sacrifice, for they would partake in none of the glory their brothers would win and all their victories would be won by proxy.When the Warmaster Horus' betrayal was revealed at the Isstvan III Atrocity, the members of the Crusader Host were as one incarcerated by the Praetorian of Terra, the Primarch Rogal Dorn. If one such as Horus could turn against the Master of Mankind, then who among the Crusader Host could be trusted?At length, Dorn was satisfied that those of the Host drawn from his own Imperial Fists Legion were sound in their loyalties and he ordered them freed.Of the remainder, each is a tale in its own right. Some escaped, their fates unknown. A small number were freed on condition of their performing some great and vital task, such as service in the ranks of the Knights-Errant.The ultimate fate of many of the Crusader Host is bound up in the events of the climax of the Horus Heresy, when total war came at last to Terra, but that is a tale best accounted when at last it is time to do so.One of its number, a former Luna Wolves Astartes by the name of Severian, helped the Sigillite in identifying potential Knights-Errant from both Loyalist and Traitor Legions alike. The Sigillite's intent was to gather each of those named by Severian and muster them into a cadre of Astartes warriors directly under his control, a band he would dub the Knights-Errant.It fell to the most senior of these, the Agentia Primus Nathaniel Garro, a former battle-captain of the Death Guard and witness to the events of the Isstvan III Atrocity, to go forth into the galaxy and recruit all twenty selected by the Sigillite and Severian to his master's cause.
Knights-Errant - Calth (007.M31): In 007.M31, Agentia Primus Garro sought out Battle-Brother Tylos Rubio amongst the Astartes of the 21st Company of the Ultramarines Legion during the Battle of Calth, an extremely powerful psyker who had once been a Codicier Librarius of the XIIIth Legion before the Emperor's formal decree at the Council of Nikaea had banned the Space Marine Legions' use of psykers, including their own corps of Librarians.Many Librarians resented the Decrees of Nikaea, but honoured their oath to the Emperor and surrendered their Librarian panoply and wargear, returning to the lines as ordinary battle-brothers.Rubio's commanding Captain Gaius had been killed in a Word Bearers' assault when a large force of Traitor Marines and Chaos Cultists nearly overwhelmed the 21st Company's battle lines. Garro arrived before the next assault and found Brother Rubio.He explained to the perplexed Ultramarine that he was there on the orders of Malcador the Sigillite and that Rubio must come away with him. Rubio refused to leave his battle-brothers in the face of annihilation unless so ordered by the Emperor Himself. Much to Rubio's surprise, the honourable Garro respected his decision and agreed to stand and fight with him against the Word Bearers.In the final assault, the Ultramarines were driven back in the face of overwhelming numbers, and sought cover within a cave. They were hard-pressed by the elite Word Bearers' Cataphractii-armoured Terminators.Brother Rubio was sorely tested, forced to restrain from using his innate psychic abilities, bound by his sacred oaths to the Emperor, even though he knew that by doing so he could have saved the lives of many of his fallen battle-brothers. Facing imminent death, Rubio felt that he had no other choice and unleashed a powerful psychic attack, driving the enemy back with the full force of his powers.The tunnel collapsed in the process, burying the attacking Word Bearers Cataphractii under tons of rubble. The survivors of the 21st Company had been saved and the sole passage to the city of Numinus had been denied to the enemy.The cost of using his powers, however, was a grave one for Rubio -- his honour before his primarch and his Emperor. Garro told him to be grateful that he had saved his battle-brothers' lives at such a slight cost.As Rubio approached his fellow Ultramarines, they averted their eyes and as one turned their backs, shunning him. Rubio had disobeyed a Decree Absolute of the Emperor, and for that, there was no forgiveness.Garro drew his power sword Libertas and Rubio spun at the sound of it, fixing Garro with a furious glare. Garro held the sword out, the point down towards the ground.He had Rubio place his hand upon the blade to take an Oath of Moment, to dedicate himself to the orders of the Regent of Terra and put aside all other claims upon his honour. Rubio swore upon the blade and became a Knight-Errant, for he had little other choice.
Knights-Errant - Sword of Truth, Sol System (007.M31): The second mission Garro undertook as a Knight-Errant was within the Sol System itself, when a rag tag fleet of Loyalists arrived in the Kuiper Belt, on the outskirts of the Sol System.This flotilla of hodge-podge vessels were comprised of small merchant starships led by the Daggerline which bore the heraldry of the traitorous World Eaters Legion. Stopped by Loyalist forces, the flotilla was ordered to stand down pending further investigation.Aware of the situation, Malcador sent Garro, Tylos Rubio, and Khorarinn, a member of the Emperor's elite Legio Custodes, aboard the battleship Nolandia, to ascertain the true allegiance of this so-called "Loyalist" flotilla. Once they arrived, Garro insisted on making vox contact with the flotilla's de facto commander -- the former World Eaters Captain Macer Varren.Khorarinn, Garro and Rubio then took a shuttle to the Daggerline to meet with Varren in person, and were surprised that besides the presence of Varren's warriors, there were other Astartes present from various Legions, including a small contingent of Emperor's Children led by Captain Rakatio, and the White Scars, led by Captain Hakim.Events soon took place that seemed to incriminate the Emperor's Children as Traitors, but Garro, Rubio and Varren realised they had been duped when Captain Hakin's White Scars contingent callously murdered the few Emperor's Children Legionaries along with the arrogant Khorarinn.It turned out that Hakim and his warriors were, in actuality, both warrior lodge members, and Traitors loyal to Horus' cause. With Hakim's proclamation for Horus, the Human refugees began to panic and attempted to flee.Obeying Khararrin's final orders, the Nolandia began to systematically destroy each fleeing vessel. Garro, Rubio and Varren rushed to the Daggerline's vox array in order to send a message to the Nolandia, ordering them to stand down, but found that the Daggerline 's officers had been murdered and the vox array damaged beyond their ability to repair.In the ensuing melee, the Traitor White Scars murdered the remainder of Varren's men. The trio were soon confronted by a squad of White Scars led by Captain Hakim.Cornered, they faced imminent death, but fortunately, Rubio had taken the dead Custodian's teleport homer during the subsequent firefight, and activated it, which teleported the trio back aboard the Nolandia. Garro had the vessel stop attacking the refugee vessels, and ordered all weapons to be trained on the Daggerline.He then offered the choice to Captain Varren, to either take the Traitor White Scars into custody, or to destroy them outright. Without hesitation, Varren gave the order to fire, destroying the Traitors' vessel.Garro offered Varren a place within the Sigillite's Knights-Errant, to act as the Regent of Terra's "knife in the dark." Varren accepted, and joined this strange shadow brotherhood.
Knights-Errant - The Phalanx (ca. 007.M31): Undertaking the next recruiting mission alone, Garro, armed only with his power sword Libertas, infiltrated the Imperial Fists' flagship -- the mobile-starfortress Phalanx.Within the massive floating citadel lay a sealed chamber where the former Librarians of the VIIth Legion had been remanded into custody, under orders from the Primarch Rogal Dorn, since the Emperor's Edict of Nikaea declared the dissolution of the Legiones Astartes Librarius several standard years earlier.Disabling the Guard-servitors, Garro managed to open the sealed chamber, and was confronted by a group of six former Librarians.To Garro's astonishment, he learned that these Imperial Fists had had no outside contact with either their battle-brothers or their primarch in many standard years.They were unaware of what had occurred since they had withdrawn from the Great Crusade or of Horus' betrayal and the resulting galaxy-wide internecine conflict known as the Horus Heresy.However, one of the Librarians, named Massic, confessed to having troubling dreams of conflict that currently raged in the galaxy, and of future events in regards to the terrible final battle that would inevitably come.Garro offered the Librarians an opportunity to join with him and put their powers to good use once more, but all of them refused to disobey their primarch's orders.Before Garro could persuade them further, Rogal Dorn himself appeared, for Garro's presence had been detected the moment he came aboard. Demanding an explanation, Garro informed the primarch that he was under strict orders from the Sigillite not to reveal his mission to anyone, save Massic.Reluctantly, Dorn acquiesced to Garro's demand, and allowed the Agentia Primus and Massic to have the room to themselves for a few moments.Garro explained to the Librarian how the Heresy came to be, and of the presence of Daemons amongst the Traitor Legions' ranks, as well as the founding and the purpose of Malcador's Knights-Errant. Much to Garro's surprise, Massic refused his offer to join, and explained to the Knight-Errant that he and his fellow Librarians would not disobey their primarch's orders, even if it meant they were to stay secluded for the remainder of their lives.But Massic had faith, that when the time was right, they would eventually be called upon. Garro accepted Massic's explanation, and reluctantly took his leave.Before Garro departed the Phalanx, however, he was confronted by Dorn a final time, who warned the Agentia Primus, and through him, the Sigillite, not to test his forbearance again. Carrying the burden of being the Praetor of Terra and fortifying both the Throneworld and the Sol System, he had no wish to have to keep a vigilant watch over his own supposed "allies" as well.The primarch also explained to Garro that Malcador misunderstood his intent when it came to his psychic gene-sons -- he was not keeping the Librarians prisoner out of blind obedience to the Emperor's Decree Absolute, but to keep them safe from corruption until the day their abilities would be needed.
Knights-Errant - Isstvan III (007.M31): Next, Garro and Macer Varren returned to Isstvan III, the site of Horus' great betrayal, with the express purpose of searching for a lost Astartes as a recruit to join the Knights-Errant. They encountered a handful of survivors who spoke of a beast that hunted them.Taking matters into his own hands, Garro went to the lair of the so-called beast of Isstvan III, and on discovery of the long-dead corpse of the Sons of Horus Captain Tarik Torgaddon, he was attacked by the unkempt, nearly-psychotic Astartes called "Cerberus."After a lengthy battle, during which Cerberus escaped, Garro and his companions discovered that the Human "survivors" of the virus-bombing of Isstvan III were in fact Daemonhosts who had been transformed into undead Plague Zombies of Nurgle when the virus-bombing had weakened the barrier between the Immaterium and Isstvan III, allowing the Plague Lord's influence to reign supreme on the barren world.Garro and his Loyalist Astartes managed to defeat the foul creatures with the aid of Cerberus; however, once the undead had been destroyed, Garro and Cerberus once more faced one another in mortal combat.It was during this final fight that Garro managed to reach through the amnesia and fractured awareness of Cerberus to the core of the good man that remained deep within his psyche, reminding him of who he truly was, and that the Emperor still had a use for him in rooting out the corruption that was staining the Imperium.Aware of his true identity once more, Garviel Loken joined Garro and his team. With his assemblage of warriors now complete, Garro and Loken left Isstvan III for Luna to receive their first true mission from Malcador the Sigillite.
Knights-Errant - Baal (ca. 008.M31): After the majority of the Blood Angels Space Marine Legion and their Primarch Sanguinius disappeared in the Signus System in 005.M31 and were presumed lost, the Librarian Rubio was sent by Malcador the Sigillite to Baal to meet with Warden Arkad, the acting Regent of Baal.Arkad and twenty fellow Blood Angels stood guard on their Legion's homeworld, desperate for news of their brothers, but all travel and communication with the Signus System has been effectively blocked by the malignant Ruinstorm between the two systems.Surprised by the arrival of Rubio, the Knight Errant had the misfortune of being the bearer of bad tidings: by order of the Regent of Terra, the Blood Angels Legion was hereby ordered to disband and have their Legion's resources divided amongst the remaining Loyalist Legions.Warden Arkad and his battle-brothers vehemently protested the Sigillite's command, arguing that as long as a single son of Sanguinius yet drew breath, they could indeed rebuild their Legion. But due to serious time constraints, the Loyalists could ill-afford letting such valuable resources fall into the hands of the Traitors.Rubio sympathised with his cousins' outrage and the pain over the proposed disbanding of the Blood Angels, for he knew what it was like to lose a Legion, having been exiled from his own due to his violation of the Emperor's Decree Absolute when he utilised his powers to save Agentia Primus Garro on Calth.The Knight-Errant went on to explain that a new organisation was being formed in order to counter the dark powers that Horus Lupercal had aligned himself with.Disregarding the Sigillite's messenger, Warden Arkad and his battle-brothers vowed to undertake a suicidal journey in order to find their missing primarch or carry the fight directly to the Warmaster Horus himself.When Rubio attempted to stop Arkad, the Librarian came close to being slain by the remaining Blood Angels, but was miraculously saved by an unexpected astropathic message received from the Signus System, stating that Sanguinius and the Blood Angels yet lived.Warden Arkad ordered Rubio to depart Baal, for he would have to return to the Sigillite empty-handed. Satisfied that the Blood Angels had survived, Rubio was only too happy to do so.
Knights-Errant - Molech (009.M31): Malcador the Sigillite, together with Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space Wolves, conspired with Garviel Loken to hatch a most audacious plan -- to send a Knights-Errant squad to infiltrate Horus' flagship, the Vengeful Spirit, and prepare the way for an overwhelming Space Wolves assault, led by the Wolf King himself, in order to kill the Arch-traitor.Loken was charged by the Sigillite to command this vital mission, and was allowed to select his own squad members. The former Luna Wolf recruited nine of his fellow Knights-Errant including: Tylos Rubio, Macer Varren, Iacton Qruze, Rama Karayan, Ares Voitek, Altan Nohai, Callion Zaven, and Tubal Cayne.At the behest of Leman Russ, he also sent one of his own sons, Bror Tyrfingr, to become a member of the Sigillite's Knights-Errant. Loken also attempted to recruit his fellow Luna Wolf, Severian, but he refused to join the mission -- one he felt was a doomed prospect.Later, when the Knights-Errant prepared to depart Terra, Severian changed his mind and joined them despite his misgivings. Utilising the technologically advanced stealth vessel Tarnhelm and guided by Tubal Cayne's advanced sensors and strategic planning, the brave squad was able to successfully infiltrate Horus' flagship undetected.As they moved deeper into the bowels of the massive, Chaos-corrupted "Gloriana"-class Battleship, Bror Tyrfingr left Futharc runes at various points throughout the vessel to guide a future Space Wolves assault. Before long, the Knights-Errants' presence was detected as they encountered various resistance throughout the massive warship.Some of the Knights-Errant died during these skirmishes, and the remainder of the squad were captured and brought to the Lupercal's Court, and arrayed before the Warmaster himself, who had just returned from his victory at the Battle of Molech. Horus attempted to tempt his gene-son and former Mournival member Loken into rejoining him, and though moved by his gene-father's offer, the stalwart Knight-Errant defied his primarch, which allowed his fellow Knights the opportunity to turn upon their captors.They initiated a brutal brawl that led to the mortal wounding of Ares Voitek and Proximo Tarchon and the deaths of Grael Noctua, the Daemon Tormageddon's latest host body and Iacton Qruze.Several more of Loken's squad were slain in the subsequent fighting as the Knights-Errant made good their escape, when the Tarnhelm --summoned by Loken -- shot out the windows of the flagship's audience chamber, sucking them out into the void.Varren, Voitek and a rescued Ultramarines survivor from the surface of Molech, Centurion Proximo Tarchon, were put into Sus-an-induced healing comas while Rubio recovered from the ordeal.Both Bror Tyrfingr and Severian convinced their squad leader that the mission's failure was not Loken's fault.
Knights-Errant - Hunt for the Shards of Magnus: Dio Promus, Antaka Cyvaan, Yasu Nagasena and a force of Space Wolves under the command of the Rune Priest Bodvar Bjarki were later tasked by Malcador to recover several psychic shards of the Primarch Magnus the Red before the Traitor Thousand Sons could do the same, thus strengthening the Traitor Primarch Magnus.Promus' force first went to the xenos void station Kamiti Sona which was used as a prison by the Sisters of Silence for Renegade psykers seeking a shard but were confronted by a raid launched on the station by the Thousand Sons. The Remembrancer Lemuel Gaumon was captured by the Knights-Errant, who took him back to Aghoru in search of another shard.After Promus and the Space Wolves accompanying him were unable to defeat the shard, Menkaura, a Thousand Son also captured at Kamiti Sona, psychically bound the shard into Gaumon who now essentially became a Daemonhost. The next destination for the Knights was Nikaea where they went in search of another Shard of Magnus. On that world they were again confronted by a Thousand Sons raiding force commanded by First Captain Ahriman.Ahriman successfully extracted the shards of Magnus from Gaumon on Nikaea and returned them to the Planet of the Sorcerers, the Rune Priest  Bjarki who commanded the mission determined that Gaumon was now a "wyrd-wraith" who would be unable to ever again be possessed by Daemons in the future.The Space Wolves determined that they would take Gaumon back with them to the Sigillite for questioning. At the end of the mission, Bjarki and his Space Wolves slew Dio Promus after discovering he had murdered Loyalists while attempting to find strong warriors for Malcador's plan on Titan.
Knights-Errant - Founding of the Grey Knights (014.M31): Shortly before the Siege of Terra began, the Knights-Errant were deployed across the Throneworld, busy battling Chaos Cultists and daemonic manifestations that erupted across Terra as Horus and the Traitor fleet moved ever closer to the Sol System.At the White Mountain military installation of Terra, the Knights fought a Chaos Cultist forces led by the Daemon known as the Lord of Flies while the the Word Bearers Dark Apostle Erebus' unwitting mind-slave Tylos Rubio, who had been secretly captured and released by the Word Bearers during the Battle of Calth, attempted to assassinate Malcador. The Loyalists succeeded in defeating the Chaos assault upon the White Mountain, but at the cost of the life of Macer Varren.After the battle and his defeat of Horus' assassination attempt, Malcador brought nine Knights-Errant identified to possess psychic powers before the Emperor Himself deep beneath the Imperial Palace.The Emperor revealed their purpose: to carry out a never-ending war against the forces of Chaos and the Warp in order to prevent the future destruction of Humanity at the hands of Chaos. The Emperor made it clear that these chosen Astartes' part in the war against Horus was done, for their contribution to Mankind was to come in a conflict that would last long after the battles of the Horus Heresy had faded into myth.After their interview with the Emperor, each of the chosen Knights-Errant was led through a Webway portal beneath the Imperial Palace by Malcador and with the aid of Malcador's Aeldari/Human hybrid clone Ael Wyntor to a grand new fortress-monastery that had been prepared for them on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. There they would begin to the formation of what became the Grey Knights.The chosen Knights-Errant each received new names, erasing their old identities and loyalties. These surviving Knights-Errant were subsequently dubbed "The Titans":Revuel Arvida became Ianius, later remembered as Janus, the first Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights.Severian became Iapto.Vardas Ison became Satre.Tylos Rubio became Koios.An unnamed former Astartes of the Dark Angels became Epimetheus.An unnamed former Astartes of the Raven Guard became Ogen. This was likely Antaka Cyvaan or Balsar Kurthuri.An unnamed former Astartes of the Space Wolves became Yotun. This was likely Fyodor Stromgren.An unnamed former Astartes of the Night Lords became Khyron. This was likely Fel Zharost.Garviel Loken was intended to become the Grey Knights Grand Master Crius, but refused to join the chosen Knights-Errant after he felt that his fate demanded that he confront the Sons of Horus one more time at the Siege of Terra. Freed of all further oblgation to serve the interests of Malcador the Sigillite, he joined Nathaniel Garro and Helig Gallor, the two remaining Knights-Errant who were also not chosen to become Titans because of their lack of psychic powers. Togther the three prepared to face the forces of Horus once more time during the Siege of Terra.
Knights-Errant - Wargear: Paragon Bolter - The Knights-Errant were outfitted with the finest crafted panoply of arms and armour that the Sigillite's household could procure, the plain grey heraldry belying the peerless quality of the underlying workmanship.Master-Crafted Bolt PistolMaster-Crafted Power WeaponIron HaloArtificer ArmourFrag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Knights-Errant - Optional Wargear: A Knight-Errant may also take one of the following:NartheciumNuncio-VoxServo-ArmMelta BombsJump PackA Knight-Errant may replace his Power Weapon with one of the following:Master-Crafted Power FistA single Master-Crafted Lightning ClawA Knight-Errant may replace his Paragon Bolter with one of the following:Combi-WeaponSniper RifleA Knight-Errant may replace his master-crafted Bolt Pistol with one of the following:Master-Crafted Volkite SerpentaMaster-Crafted Plasma Pistol
Knights-Errant - Knights-Errant Colours: Having foresworn their oaths to their Space Marine Legions of origin, the Knights-Errant wore artificer-wrought battle plate scoured to unpainted ceramite gunmetal grey. They bore no sigil other than that of Malcador.Despite renouncing their former ties, many Knights-Errant retained some token of their former identity, varying from a simple keepsake of a battle of old to a favoured weapon too potent to set aside.In the aftermath of the Schism of Mars, during which the Imperial Fists were finally able to extricate stockpiles of the new Mark VI Corvus Pattern Power Armour from the Mechanicum's forge cities on Mars, the Knights-Errant were equipped with the very finest examples of this class of armour.They also received access to whatever other master-crafted weapons and wargear they required to prosecute the Sigillite's far-reaching Silent War.
Knights-Errant - Knights-Errant Iconography: Members of the Knights-Errant were marked with the personal sigil of Malcador the Sigillite -- a stylised letter "I" with three horizontal lines through its centre.This icon would later become infamous across the galaxy after the Horus Heresy as the Inquisitorial Seal of the Inquisition.
Knights Cenobium - Knights Cenobium: The Knights Cenobium, formally the Inner Circle Knights Cenobium, were a specialist Terminator formation unique to the Dark Angels Space Marine Legion active during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.These elite warriors were chosen by their Primarch Lion El'Jonson to form a temporary unit gathered together using a cell of warriors from one of the orders of the Hexagrammaton on the eve of a mission that required their unique skills. These temporary Veteran squads could bring the wrath of the Lion directly into the heart of the enemy.
Knights Cenobium - History: Amongst the ranks of the Ist Legion stood the formidable warriors of the Knights Cenobium. Only the most dedicated warrior-adepts of the Legion could attain the rank of cenobite and were granted the right to bear the cipher of one of the six orders of the Dark Angels' Hexagrammaton.Clad in the finest Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour they were covered in the symbols and heraldry of the Ist Legion. The cenobites of the Lion's Inner Circle could easily weather the storm of shrapnel and flame produced by the terrible weapons of the Great Crusade with limited risk.Armed with the best weapons and wargear that the Legion could provide, they brought the fury of their assault into the heart of enemy fortifications.
Knights Cenobium - Unit Composition: 4-9 Cenobites1 Order Preceptor
Knights Cenobium - Wargear: Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour - The heavy Cataphracti Terminator Armour granted them by the Lion allowed detachments of the Knights Cenobium to weather the storm of shrapnel and flame produced by the terrible weapons of the Great Crusade with limited risk and bring the fury of their assault into the heart of enemy formations that were cowering in the face of the artillery's fury.Plasma Caster - A small Plasma Weapon unique to the Dark Angels, fitted into each Astartes' vambrace to allow the Knights Cenobium to fight unencumbered in combat.Terranic Greatsword - The Terranic Greatsword was a large, two-handed Power Sword used by the Knights Cenobium.
Knights Cenobium - Optional Wargear: Thunder Hammer (As replacement for Terranic Greatsword)The Order Preceptor may take any of the following:Grenade HarnessDigital Lasers
Knights Cenobium - Sources: The Horus Heresy Book Nine: Crusade (Forge World Series), pp. 55, 100, 102, 107, 162Lion El'Jonson: Lord of the First (Novel) by David Guymer, Book 9, Part 1Warhammer Community - Horus Heresy Exemplary Battles - A New Mission & Free Rules for Dark Angels and Death Guard SquadsWarhammer Community - Downloads - The Horus Heresy: Exemplary Battles of the Age of Darkness - The Battle of Perditus: Umbral-51Warhammer Community - Forge World Pre-Order: Some Dark Angels LoreWarhammer Community - Horus Heresy, The Road to Thramas - Part 2: On the Knight ShiftHorus Heresy Legions Card Game - Angels of Caliban Expansion
Knights Cerulean - Knights Cerulean: The Knights Cerulean is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter comprised entirely of Primaris Space Marines, created from the lineage of the Ultramarines and raised during the Ultima Founding of 999.M41.The Knights Cerulean were originally members of the Unnumbered Sons who accompanied Lord Commander of the Imperium Guilliman to the Realm of Ultramar as part of the Indomitus Crusade and took part in the Plague Wars.The Chapter was created after the end of the Indomitus Crusade in the early 42nd Millennium and their numbers were originally drawn from the remaining Unnumbered Sons of Ultramarines descent.The Unnumbered Sons were the nine Legion-sized forces which comprised half of the Primaris Space Marines created during the Ultima Founding who were not placed within the normal Adeptus Astartes Chapter structure.
Knights Cerulean - Notable Campaigns: Plague Wars (Unknown Date.M42) - The future members of the Knights Cerulean were among the Primaris Space Marines who accompanied Primarch Roboute Guilliman as members of the Unnumbered Sons when he went to the aid of the Realm of Ultramar during the Plague Wars.
Knights Cerulean - Notable Knights Cerulean: Captain Quentus Carmagon - Quentus Carmagon was the captain of the 3rd Company of the Knights Cerulean.
Knights Cerulean - Chapter Colours: The Knights Cerulean's Chapter colours are currently unknown in Imperial records.
Knights Cerulean - Chapter Badge: The Knights Cerulean's Chapter badge is not currently listed in Imperial records.
Knights of Abhorrence - Knights of Abhorrence: The Knights of Abhorrence are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and a successor of the Dark Angels, created during an unknown Founding.
Knights of Abhorrence - Chapter History: In the first eight standard centuries after their Founding, the Knights of Abhorrence fought solely in the Ghoul Stars, blooding their swords with the viscera of some of the most dangerous xenos the Imperium has ever encountered.In the years since, they have patrolled the outer reaches of the Imperium, slaughtering alien horrors whilst acquiring information on the Fallen.It was they who first alerted Supreme Grand Master Azrael to the events in the Warp rift near the Somnium Stars after the escape of Luther from The Rock. Rumours grow of a dire threat mounting. Reports from this isolated region of space suggest that the Fallen are amassing there in unprecedented numbers. This mustering is a grave threat that the Chapters of the Unforgiven will not ignore.The Chapter also maintains the secret 57th Protocol with the Deathwatch, which sends its battle-brothers to serve with the Chamber Militant of the Alien Hunters.
Knights of Abhorrence - Notable Campaigns: Octarius War (999.M41-Present) - The Octarius War is a major conflict being waged between the Orks of the Empire of Octarius and the Tyranids' Hive Fleet Leviathan. However, to some extent, the military forces of the Imperium of Man have also clashed with the forces of Chaos during this devastating conflict. The Knights of Abhorrence are one of several Space Marine Chapters currently engaged in this ongoing campaign.