Battlegroup Allegiances
Traitor Titan Legion
The scale of division that sundered the Collegia Titanica speaks to the charisma possessed by the Warmaster, for even the towering god-engines of Mars bowed to his command. Like all Traitors, the reasoning for betrayal differed greatly amongst the Traitor Legios, and often relied upon promises of knowledge or power offered by the Warmaster and denied to them by the Emperor. For many, siding with Horus promised a new age of prosperity for their Legio, one that would see them rise above all others if they had the strength of arms to seize such a future. For others, the act of betrayal gave them the opportunity to indulge in their basest urges, unleashing the power of their god-engines without fear of reprisal from those far removed from the field of war.
For the Warmaster, a Traitor Titan Legion was the ultimate weapon of suppression, capable of levelling entire worlds resistant to his ideals, and as a warning to others who dared defy his rule. Faced with surmounting two centuries of fortifications raised in the wake of the Great Crusade, the Traitor Titan Legions served as the Warmaster's hammer, breaking apart all the Imperium had built as they marched on Terra. It was they who conquered Beta-Garmon, opening the doorway to the Segmentum Solar after years of warfare that forever depleted the might of the Collegia Titanica, and it was those loyal to Kelbor-Hal that secured Mars, holding its surface until the Warmaster made his final move upon the Emperor.
Of all the Legios to turn their hand to the war between kin, it was the Traitors that suffered the most radical of changes, for they were exposed to both the malign powers of the Warp and the perversions of the Dark Mechanicum. The waning years of the Horus Heresy saw corruption take root within many a Titan Legion amongst the Warmaster's forces, from the magnification of degenerate humours to subversion of the god-engines themselves; once great machines becoming warped by mutation and piloted not by noble Princeps but entities dragged from the Warp and housed within metal flesh.
(see Traitor Titan Legion, page 39 of the Matched Play Guide)
Blackshield Titan Legion
Many were the Princeps abandoned by the maelstrom of war, left to defend a far-flung edge of the Imperium now superfluous in the face of the Warmaster's advance, while others were presumed dead and stricken from records of their Legio. These forsaken souls found themselves trapped between legacies, returning to find a galaxy riven by treachery and mistrust. All too often they were deemed foes of either side, presumed agents of the enemy and marked for death. Forced to accept destruction or seek their own path, many of them sought a new life upon the fringes of the war, ushering in the advent of the first Blackshield Legios.
There lay no unifying purpose amongst those Princeps devoid of Legio, and their past heritage offered little but a mark of shame. Varying in strength and disposition and often forged from multiple Titan Legions, these Blackshields defined their own legacy. Some, like the Permitted Brotherhood, watched over the burnt remains of their once-home, striking down all who dared sully its memory with their tread. Others, like the Cleansing Flame, sought more martial goals, descending upon worlds fresh from battle between Loyalist and Traitor to conquer for their own purpose.
Regardless of their goals, the methods employed by a Blackshield Legio were reliant upon the nature of their supplies, for the attrition of war was a greater burden on those without the backing of greater powers. Accepting any who believed in their cause, it was not unheard of for a Blackshield Legio to favour a single pattern of Titan, adapting their tactics to overcome the deficiencies presented by lack of reserves. Rarely able to reinforce or grow in number, many a Blackshield Legio burnt bright but fell quickly, crushed upon the anvil of war and doomed to obscurity.
(see Blackshield Titan Legion, page 39 of the Matched Play Guide)
Knight Household Allegiances
Knight Households and Knight Worlds
Questoris Mechanicus
(see Questoris Mechanicus, page 42 of the Matched Play Guide)
Questoris Traitoris
To most, the Warmaster's perfidy was an unprecedented revelation, yet scattered reports deemed unfit for the eyes of most offer hints of disregarded knowledge that warned of the impending cataclysm soon to be unleashed upon the galaxy. Whether such accusations are merely hindsight offering enlightened perspective or a glimpse as to the disbelief that the favoured son would stray is unknown, and speculation fosters little but further distrust. Regardless, that the Warmaster himself could turn against his father and drag so many down alongside him forced the revelation that none could be trusted until their loyalty had been deemed unyielding.
The scale of treachery revealed the stark need for all strength still loyal to the Imperium to be tallied in preparation for a war that promised no easy resolution. Confirmation of any who had shed their loyalties was of paramount importance, so that no loyal servant of the Emperor provided aid to those instead deserving nothing short of annihilation. In this vein, those Knight Households who had strayed from their purpose were named Questoris Traitoris, a title laced with shameful implications of dishonourable intent and notification to all that diplomacy with such Households was deemed an unviable path.
Like the honorifics the Houses had once held, Questoris Traitoris was a term holding only the slightest detail, for the motives and nature of Traitor Households were far from absolute. Indeed, great variance emerged amongst their number as the Horus Heresy progressed, with many devolving into crude parodies of their former selves, or becoming twisted by profane experiments conducted upon them by the Dark Mechanicum, whom many a Household found themselves pledged to. As the Warmaster descended upon Terra, many Households were but pale shadows of themselves, moulded by hands possessed of sinister purpose that cared little for the virtues of nobility and honour that had once served as the foundation for all Knight Households.
(see Questoris Traitoris, page 44 of the Matched Play Guide)
Questoris Oblitus
The classification of a Knight House as Questoris Traitoris cared little for establishing the goals and motivations of a wayward House, presuming all who sided against the Emperor did so at behest of the Warmaster. Yet the reality of the matter was that, like those of the Legiones Astartes, the divide between Loyalist and Traitor was far from clean. Indeed, though the Horus Heresy was born from conflict between two leaders, smaller conflicts were driven by all manner of reasons. Of those who did forsake their oaths, not all were convinced of the Warmaster's goals, for many still seethed at the notion of divesting control to one far removed from their world. These Questoris Traitoris became collectively known as Questoris Oblitus, roughly translated as 'Forgotten Scions'. Such a title did not stop many from naming them as they did others of their ilk - Blackshield.
This distinction meant little to many within the Imperium, for in spite of supposed justification, any deemed Traitor were destined for punishment no matter who they now served. Individually however, Blackshields were devoid of uniting purpose, each a separate entity far removed from one another and driven by their own motivations. Many sought to rebuild empires lost to them when the Imperium claimed their allegiance, striking down any who dared object. Of these, some were Households newly brought into Compliance, seeking to utilise the chaos engulfing the galaxy to re-establish their autonomy.
Tragically, some that became Blackshields did so out of circumstance rather than choice. Faced with the overwhelming confusion perpetrated by constant betrayal, many were denounced as Traitors based upon rumours and fragmented information rather than objective fact. For some this meant a falsehood was thrust upon them and it was not unheard of for a Household to fall victim to the fury of the Loyalists upon reconnecting with the wider Imperium or for crusading Knights to return home only to find their world burnt by decree of the Emperor. Overcome by sorrow or anger, these Knights had no recourse but to fight for survival against those they had once wished to serve, some turning to the Warmaster for vengeance, others seeking a new home free from the influence of all who would claim dominion over their lives.
(see Questoris Oblitus, page 45 of the Matched Play Guide)