House Coldshroud - House History: From the earliest days of the Great Crusade to the dark years of the Horus Heresy, it was a rare sight for the god-engines of the Legio Gryphonicus to march to war without the Knights of House Coldshroud alongside them. The household, sworn to serve the Forge World of Gryphonne IV during the Age of Strife, drew its warriors from the sons and daughters of favoured noble families across the Gryphonne Octad, a pocket empire of eight star systems ruled from Gryphonne IV.Such children were given willingly, for there exists no greater honour in the Octad than to ascend to the Throne Mechanicum and bestride the galaxy in service to the War Griffons. This lengthy history of service ensured that House Coldshroud remains one of the oldest bonded Knight houses known to the Imperium, evidenced by the heraldry of the household being that of the Legio Gryphonicus itself.When the Legio Gryphonicus departed the Octad as part of the Great Crusade, so too did the warriors of Coldshroud, sallying forth to earn glories few others could match.In war, the Knights of Coldshroud operate as vanguard fighters for the Legio Gryphonicus, ranging far ahead of its god-engines in search of foes. The disposition of warriors within House Coldshroud is founded upon noble lineage and honours earned in battle, set down before each war zone so none could question a commander's legitimacy in the heat of conflict.Each warrior of Coldshroud was taught to respect and honour those raised above them, with the princeps of a god-engine standing higher than even the grand master of the household, except in matters that dealt solely with the workings of the house.Favouring rigid command structures, it became common for banners of Coldshroud Knights to be bonded to specific Titan or war maniples, each Scion sworn in service to nominated princeps until such a time as they were released from service, by command or by death. This process served to forge unbreakable bonds between House Coldshroud and the Legio Gryphonicus, a bond that has never faltered in the face of millennia of trials. No more evident is the unwavering sense of duty those of Coldshroud hold then in their actions during the Horus Heresy.Not a single recorded instance speaks of its warriors questioning an order to fight those once deemed allies and many warriors of Coldshroud spilt blood in service to their masters. The  greatest singular loss of life amongst House Coldshroud came during the First Battle for Paramar V, where dozens of its number stood firm against overwhelming Traitor forces to buy time for those of the Legio Gryphonicus to withdraw, the names of those that fell forever remembered by the people of the Octad.The close ties House Coldshroud hold with the Legio Gryphonicus ensure its numbers rarely take to the field of battle in strength except in support of the War Griffons. On rare occasions, determined by operational needs, the warriors of House Coldshroud would be granted complete autonomy and deployed en masse. Under such circumstances, the household's Scions would serve within the bounds of strict hierarchies, with the composition of its banners remaining fixed across battlefields rather than adapting to meet changing circumstances.It is a testament to the skill of House Coldshroud that such rigidity has rarely proved detrimental to its prowess in battle, for the determination and valour of its warriors brought victory where other soldiers of lesser quality would falter. Even the dire revelations of the Horus Heresy did little to shake the ironclad resolve of the warriors of Coldshroud, for all were filled with a sense of righteousness that, within the shadow of the Legio Gryphonicus, the deeds of House Coldshroud would forever be just.