40K: Dark Arcana of the Chaos Knights
Codex Chaos Knights is packed with all manner of forbidden lore about the origins of the dread warmachines and their fallen masters. Here are our favorites.
Iconoclast – House Lucaris
Iconoclasts Houses – Twisted Honor
The Iconoclast houses fell in steps to first madness, then depravity while attempting to retain their honor. The majority of these houses were oathsworn to Traitor forces, or Legions during the Horus Heresy. Torn between breaking hereditary oaths to their now Traitorous allies, or to the Emperor – they were driven mad by their vows and the wailing spirits of past pilots in their Throne Mechanicums. Once fully broken in spirit, they rationalized their actions and sealed their fate.
House Lucaris – An Iconoclast house was sworn to the Luna Wolves and fights alongside the Black Legion to this day. They swore oaths against the Emperor when Horus fell.
House Herpetrax – An Iconoclast house that never swore fealty to the Imperium during the Great Crusade, and are independent to this day. They successfully fought off invasion forces who claimed the House was long tainted and corrupt – possibly as far back as Old Night.
House Khymere – Doomed by a temporal trick of the Great Rift. The loyal House appearing as twisted raiders across the galaxy after the Great Rift tore across there homeworld. Marked for invasion and death by the Imperium, multiple Marine chapters arrived onworld to find the immaculate and loyal Knights shocked by the accusations. Keeping their vows intact, they would not fight the Marines, but fled into space and dove into the Great Rift, their loop through time and insanity complete.
Infernal – House Khomentis
Infernal Houses – Playthings of the Dark Mechanicus
On the other side of the coin are the Infernal Houses. The Dark Mechanicus tortured captured Throne Mechanicus’ with everything from scrapcode bombardment, to daemonic possession, and more. Past pilot spirits were either destroyed, or possessed, and over time the Infernal House thrones became saturated in the Warp. Once implanted back into their Knights – their House’s fate was sealed. The Dark Mechanicus saw the entire process as a grand experiment – a successful one – in control and subversion of their vassal houses.
House Vextrix – Infernals, sworn to the Legion Mortis during the Great Crusade. They have fought by their side from that day to this. Vextrix suffered horrific losses during the battle of Beta Garmon during the Heresy, alongside the Death Heads – only cementing their hatred of the Imperium.
House Khomentis – This warp tainted house is made of huntsmen and raiders. As they age, the pilots become more infused with warp energy, eventually transforming into a living warp rift. As they die, daemons released from the warp are hunted by House acolytes, competing to become the next generation of Khomentis pilots.
Knightly Slaves to Darkness
In a manner similar to the Traitor Legion, each Chaos House has had to pay fealty to the Ruinous powers. Visited by Heralds, or battlefield temptations, some houses have pledged themselves to a single god, while others worship the entire Chaos Pantheon undivided. Their object of devotion is most often seen in the iconography they daub onto their mounts.
Abhorrent-Class Knights
There is a new category of Chaos knight so mutated in form there is controversy within the Imperium. Some say the forces of Chaos have horribly mutated former knights. The chassis is known for its snarling maw and backwards jointed legs. Others say the Abhorrent class is an entirely new design created in the forges of the Dark Mechanicum from an unknown tainted STC.
“all hail the master”
A King Unforseen
The Rampager Death’s Sabre after centuries of combat is so encrusted with filth and the flayed skinn of fallen foes that is has attracted masses of Necron Flayed Ones who believe it is a manifestation of the C’Tan Llandu’gor. Death’s Sabre fights on with its unwanted allies, giving them no acknowledgment.
~Which factoid is your favorite, and as always…Death to the False Emperor!
