TRAITOR KNIGHT HOUSEHOLDS

House Ærthegn

Title: TheImperial Knight Household of Ærthegn

Household Grade: Tertius*

Patent: Warrant of Imperial Immediacy issued by the Imperial Court in early M31 at the personal request of Horus. Litterae Patentes duly recorded by the Officio Militaris College of Arms.

Warden Domain: TheHrethmael Drift

Cognomen: TheWrækan Dreor (Autochthonic Household language)

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: Binding oaths of loyalty seal the House to Horus’ personal service and they maintain ties with the Forge World of Cyclothrathe under his auspices and through his agents.

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

*Grade assigned by Divisio Militaris based on data provided by the officersof the Warmaster’s command, now believed erroneous.

House Ærthegn, a Knight House that once went by the name Wræken Dreor, began as raiders who showed none of the virtues normally held by most Imperial Knight Houses. This demeanour was driven by the necessities of Old Night, and it was not until Horus was declared Warmaster that the raiders were brought into the Imperium’s fold. Thistask was undertaken by the Sons of Horus, the Warmaster winning House Ærthegn’s loyalty through a brutal display of physical might. Recognising him as a superior lord, the Wræken Dreor pledged their loyalty to the Warmaster and, in turn, were granted the status of an Imperial Knight House, much to the disdain of others within the Questoris Familia who viewed them more akin to savages and barbarians than worthy inheritors of such a heritage.

In the short period they fought in the Great Crusade, the Scions of House Ærthegn quickly gained a reputation for brutality and bloodshed, their behaviour having changed little from their days as raiders – such actions were in spite of reported attempts by the Warmaster to civilise them with delegations of Davinite priests attached to the Knight House to better integrate them into the Imperium. In many ways, their unsavoury actions only intensified, for the Scions of House Ærthegn took pride in engineering conflicts with other Imperial Knight Houses and Freeblades or fighting between themselves in order to prove their worth. In hindsight, the escalation of their aggression can be attributed to the delegations of so-called ‘Crow Priests’ who sought only to strengthen the ties House Ærthegn held with the Warmaster and, framed with these motivations, it holds little surprise that House Ærthegn sided with the Warmaster at the outbreak of the Horus Heresy.

MATERIEL STRENGTH As the Knight House was taken into Imperial service, official records submitted to the Divisio Militaris by officers of the Sons of Horus attest that the total fighting strength of House Ærthegn numbered at around 100 Knight armours, most of which were of ancient Paladin or Errant designs. Such an estimate placed House Ærthegn amongst the smallest Knight Household incorporated into the Imperium.

After the beginning of the Horus Heresy and the revelations of House Ærthegn’s true allegiance, it quickly became apparent that these numbers were far from accurate. Even as the first fratricidal acts of the Horus Heresy were undertaken, hosts bearing the colours of House Ærthegn were unleashed upon Imperial outposts and isolated garrisons in numbers far in excess of those reports held by the Divisio Militaris. Revised estimates, based upon data collated from dozens of combat reports recorded over a decade long period, place House Ærthegn’s true numbers at the onset of the Horus Heresy at around 300, a number capable of rivalling some of the most ancient Households in Imperial service. Amongst these numbers were newly-forged Cerastus armours bearing the distinctive marks of the forge-wrights of Cyclothrathe, no doubt constructed in secret long before the Warmaster revealed his rebellion to the galaxy.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Ærthegn High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Methodical Butcher: TheSeneschal is infamous for the brutal efficiencywith which they destroy their foes. Knights in the Seneschal’s Banner may re-roll Armour rolls of a 1 for attacks made with a Melee weapon if they are issued a Charge order. However, the Seneschal’s Banner cannot be issued Coordinated Strike orders. 2 Bloodlust: TheSeneschal becomes little more than a frothing madman during battle, throwing aside rational behaviour in search of a kill. TheSeneschal may issue Charge orders to Banners within their Lance without the need to make a Command check. However, if a Banner within the Seneschal’s Lance fails a Command check when being issued with any other Order, it does not act on its own initiative; instead it must act under Charge orders. 3 Furious Assault: TheSeneschal revels in fighting up close and rains blow after blow upon their opponents with no thought to their own safety. For each Hit roll of 6 made by the Seneschal’s banner when attacking with a Melee weapon, it causes 2 hits rather than 1. However, add 1 to the Armour roll for attacks made with a Melee weapon against the Seneschal’s banner.

House Ærthegn Cerastus Knight Lancer

GREAT THUNOZ Despite official records downplaying the size of House Ærthegn, they proved capable of fielding dozens of rare Knight patterns, like the Cerastus Knight Lancer Great Thunozdepicted here, during the Horus Heresy. Bearing the insignia of the Ærthegn warrior Grædan, Great Thunozwas to participate in multiple raids upon macro-cargo haulers

across Ultramar to both cut Loyalist supply lines and secure materiel for the Crusade of Iron. Themost audacious of

these raids remains that of an assault upon a Legio Lysanda ‘coffin ship’, overcoming the Scions of House Orhlacc

tasked with defending the ship and capturing those Titans that remained in their cradles.

House Ærthegn Questoris Knight Magaera

KERBEROS Seized in battle from House Atrax at the height of the fighting on Numinal, the Magaera class armour Kerberos now

bears the heraldry of the Ærthegn Chieftess Ædalflae Red-wroth. Ædalflae’s warband was one of the few to spurn

Horus’ attempts to dominate their House, returning to the old reaving ways of the Wrækan Dreor. Bloody raids by Ædalflae and other bands of Wrækan Dreor were to be a constant thorn in the side of both Cyclothrathe and

Agathaon forces during the fighting in the Coronid Deeps.

House Morbidia

Title: ThePact of Morbidia

Household Grade: Secundus

Patent: Writ of Penance, bound in indefinite servitude to the Fabricator General of Mars wherever his shadow may fall

Warden Domain: None; activities sanctioned on all worlds within the Fabricator General’s influence.

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: Legio Mortis

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Originating on Mars during the earliest days of the Age of Strife, House Morbidia began as a rival to the Knight Houses of Taranis and Zavora for power and the favour of the Omnissiah’s priesthood. During those dark and lost centuries, however, House Morbidia erred and, for crimes since expunged from the datacores of Mars, Morbidia was censured and condemned by the Fabricator General. It fell to Taranis and Zavora, amongst others, to bring judgement down upon them through a series of bitter and bloody battles. In defeat, the price of survival was the eternal servitude of the House to the Fabricator General of Mars, “…until such times as the stars themselves burned cold.”

In this way, House Morbidia, more commonly known as the Pact of Morbidia, served as enforcers for Mars across the galaxy, little more than slave-warriors condemned to live and die at the will of the Fabricator General. Thoughsuch shame would be the death of many a House, the Scions of Morbidia revelled in their new role, gaining infamy for their merciless nature and unrepentant lust for slaughter. By virtue of their ties to the Fabricator General, House Morbidia never wanted for materiel, equipped with Knight armours of the highest standard and lavished with attention in a manner akin to the way one might treat a favoured pet. Often, they would march to battle alongside the Titans of the Legio Mortis, both forces instilled with the will of the Fabricator General to punish those who had erred.

As the Horus Heresy dawned and the Fabricator General of Mars sided with the Warmaster, so too did House Morbidia, disseminated throughout the Traitor fleets across the galaxy. In support of the Legio Mortis and the Legio Magna, as well as independent Dark Mechanicum battlegroups, House Morbidia fell upon the servants of the Emperor with gleeful savagery. In this they gained a measure of independence denied to them for millennia, for many amongst their number were freed from the gaze of Mars. Thoughtheir servitude remained unbroken, the horrors of war offered brief moments of freedom for the Knights of House Morbidia, allowing them to indulge in their darkest habits and in this manner did corruption take root within their House, slowly moulding them into little more than savage creatures.

MATERIEL STRENGTH Theexact strength of House Morbidia remained a closely-kept secret by the Fabricator General, with estimates placing the Household’s strength between 170-290 operational Knight armours. Despite this relatively small number, at least compared to other Knight Houses drawn from the Red Planet, House Morbidia displayed a considerable number of esoteric Knight armours amongst its ranks. Banners of Knight Magaera, Styrix and Atrapos daubed in the colours of House Morbidia were a relatively common sight alongside the Titans of the Legio Mortis. More standard Knight armours in service to House Morbidia benefitted as well, regularly being upgraded with the latest innovations to leave the foundries of Mars and, much later, the so-called blessings of the Dark Mechanicum.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Morbidia High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Blackhearted: TheSeneschal cares not for the weakness of mercy and revels in the cries of fear and the shedding of blood. When making an attack during the Movement phase as part of a Charge order, Knights within the Seneschal’s Lance may re-roll Hit rolls of a 1. 2 Devoid of Virtue: TheSeneschal possesses a dread reputation, striking fear into the hearts of any that oppose them. At the end of the Movement phase, enemy Knight Banners within 6" of the Seneschal’s Banner must check to see if they are Shaken, as if one or more Knights within their Banner had been destroyed. 3 Rule through Fear: TheSeneschal controls their warriors through terror, knowing they will not break if they fear their commander more than their enemy. Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance cannot be Shaken while the Seneschal is on the battlefield. However, the Seneschal’s Banner does not add 3 to the result of any of its Command checks, as described in Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech.

House Morbidia Cerastus Knight Atrapos

IRE OF MARS Owing to grievances wrought against the Fabricator General during the Age of Strife, grievances since stricken from the records of the Mechanicum, House Morbidia were devoid of free will, making war at the whim of Mars during the Great Crusade. Theconsiderable firepower offered by the weapons of a Knight Atrapos such as Ire of Mars proved ideal for penal duties against elements of the Mechanicum that defied Mars. Thecombat experience House Morbidia gained as the personal enforcers of the Fabricator General proved immensely useful during the Horus Heresy, for they were one of the few Households that had previously tested their mettle against members of both the Titan Legions and Questoris

Familia before the Warmaster’s betrayal.

House Morbidia Questoris Knight Magaera

RAGE MANIFESTED House Morbidia Knight Magaera such as Rage Manifested were frequently used in urban pacification operations. Armed with devastating lightning cannon and Hekaton siege claws, banners of Knight Magaera would advance behind a screen of Cerastus Knight Lancers. Upon reaching a fortified area of resistance, the

Knights would tear gaping wounds in target structures with their siege claws before obliterating the now exposed defenders with focused beams of electrostatic energy. A favoured tactica of House Morbidia task forces

that included Knight Magaera was the careful herding of retreating defenders to a handful of holdfasts, upon

which the Household would fall in great numbers, slaughtering any survivors in a single, decisive bloW.

House Caesarean

Title: TheNoble Household of House Caesarean

Household Grade: Secundus

Patent: Warrant of Ancient Domain and Arms (recognised 869.M30, ratified 892.M30)

Warden Domain: Octavia, de facto system rights recognised upon Compliance (renounced post-Heresy)

Cognomen: TheUnbowed (informal, self-referential), The Knights of Carrion (informal, derogatory)

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: No formal bonds, reciprocal ties established with the Forge World of Krytos

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Thehistory of House Caesarean is one marked by extremes, from a Household that stood as masters of a resplendent world to haphazard tribes of carrion Scions fighting over the scraps of a ruined moon. Thefortunes of the Knight House once seemed blessed, for the founders of its ancient lineage discovered the moon of Octavia following a brief lull in the empyreal currents as its ancestors navigated the Segmentum Obscurus. In Octavia, they found a stellar body rich in minerals and biological life, untouched by the depravations of xenos and sheltered from external threats that inexplicably left the moon’s star system untouched. Praising their good fortune, the first colonists of Octavia quickly descended upon the world, establishing the House of Caesarean as their protectors.

As centuries passed, the citizens of Octavia erected cities carved from marble and obsidian, oases of civilisation within the teeming jungles across the moon’s surface. As the moon prospered so too did House Caesarean, offshoots of the Household taking root in each newly-settled city until several hundred Scions stood ready to defend their home. In truth, Octavia faced little external threat, the warp storms encompassing the star system preventing all but the most desperate raiders or mindless xenos from preying on the world. Against such threats, House Caesarean proved superior, and it was as peacekeepers between the nations of Octavia that the Knight Household helped shepherd the world through the Age of Strife. Yet it was also the Scions of House Caesarean that were to awaken something lurking in the deepest recess of Octavia’s jungles.

Records detailing that which ravaged much of Octavia are fragmentary, at best, and what little survives is riven by hearsay and accusations, the disparate families of Caesarean’s bloodline quick to attribute blame to others and paint their own line as unimpeachable. Thesole common aspect of each tale speaks of creatures hibernating deep within the jungles of Octavia, locked away in stasis vaults crafted by a civilisation long-departed from the moon. As the people of Octavia expanded, such vaults were discovered, and the inherent curiosity of humanity led them to explore the ancient structures. In doing so, they awakened that which was imprisoned inside, and House Caesarean faced a threat unlike any it had seen before.

When the Imperium rediscovered Octavia, it found a world divided into tribal nations ruled over by the warring noble families of House Caesarean, the architects of its destruction long gone. Thoughthe Knight House claimed it was whole, its Scions clashed amidst crumbling ruins, fighting over stockpiles of food and armaments. Thearrival of the Great Crusade brought such conflicts to an end and began the rejuvenation of Octavia, yet the distrusting nature of the Household’s Scions never dissipated. When House Caesarean took its place in the Expeditionary fleets, it did so as tribal units, unified only by their panoply and an extensive experience in urban fighting. When the Horus Heresy dawned, the Scions of House Caesarean looked to their leaders for guidance, each band swearing allegiance to the commanders they had served alongside rather than to Emperor or Warmaster. For the Knight House, loyalty was earnt upon the battlefield and survival was the only true motivation.

MATERIEL STRENGTH Thedistrustful nature of House Caesarean meant the Household proved resistant to attempts to accurately catalogue its numbers and military power. Rough estimation places House Caesarean as a Secundus-class Knight Household, capable of fielding anywhere between 150-210 Knight armours. Such numbers were divided between tribal families, each ruled over by warlords capable of tracing their ancestry back to the Household’s founders. Therewere five prominent families in active service at the onset of the Horus Heresy, four of which were deployed alongside either the Legio Krytos or the Iron Warriors Legion; all four are known to have turned against the Emperor. A smaller family unit never left Octavia, having assigned itself to watch over the rebirth of the moon. Thefate of these Scions has yet to be determined.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Caesarean High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Urban Fighter: TheSeneschal has a reputation for their skill in urban warfare, able to stalk the streets and strike before anyone knows they are there. For the duration of the first round, attacks made against the Seneschal’s Lance suffer a -1 modifier to all Hit rolls. 2 Lightning Assault: TheSeneschal favours swiftly falling upon their foes, carving through the opposition before they are aware an attack has come. In the Movement phase, Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance add 2" to their Speed characteristic when acting with Charge orders. 3 Esteemed Ancestry: TheSeneschal can trace their bloodline back to legendary figures from the Household’s first days. Such a legacy is inspiring, even if the Seneschal does not match the deeds of their ancestors. As long as the Seneschal is on the battlefield, Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance cannot be Shaken. However, the Seneschal’s Banner does not add 3 to the result of any of its Command checks, as described in Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech.

House Caesarean Questoris Knight Warden

UNREPENTANT RELICT Unrepentant Relict, depicted here upon the muster fields of Octavia in 002.M31, was one of the few House Caesarean Knight armours to have survived the constant cycle of urban warfare on its home moon during the Age of Strife. Much

of House Caesarean’s strength during the Great Crusade derived from armours fashioned in the century preceding the

arrival of the Imperium or from fresh shipments of armour following Octavia’s Compliance. Due to its ancient nature,

the possession of an armour such as Unrepentant Relict brought considerable status within the Household, making it

a frequently fought-over relic; the Questoris Knight is recorded to have changed hands amongst the tribal families

at least 27 times, first as spoils of conquest from intra-household warfare and then through subterfuge and politics

during the Great Crusade.

House Caesarean Cerastus Knight Acheron

REBORN TheCerastus Knight Acheron is a fearsome sight on the battlefield, a reaper of lives carefully designed not only to destroy but also to

inspire terror. Knight Acherons such as Reborn were more commonly seen in Households such as House Caesarean that specialised in urban warfare, its armament of a flame cannon and reaper chainfist proving highly efficient during urban pacification actions. Few

Scions choose to ride into battle in Acheron armour voluntarily, a fact attributed to the anima of the armour often being awash in

the inherited memories of past massacres it had perpetrated. Thisstigma never took root amongst the ranks of House Caesarean, whose Scions saw the Acheron as playing a vital part in the Household’s survival during the Age of Strife, making appointment to an Acheron an honoured one. Thesole exception to this was during intra-household warfare, where it was considered uncouth and

dishonourable to set a fellow Scion ablaze, resulting in Acheron armours often being excluded from such conflicts.

House Perdaxia

Title: TheHelot Household of Perdaxia (Tentative; No official designation present in Imperial records)

Household Grade: Unknown

Patent: No official Patent issued; existence unknown until the Horus Heresy

Warden Domain: Sasharam (Unconfirmed, Suspected)

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: Apparent Vassal House to the Legio Fureans

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Following the events of Paramar V, where the Titans of the Legio Fureans spearheaded the invasion of the Imperial planet during the opening days of the Horus Heresy, the Titan Legion was oft seen marching to battle accompanied by Knight armours painted in the yellow and black of the Legio Fureans, albeit the two colours often inverted. Little effort was expended in determining the origin of such a practice, with those few who turned their minds to such instances assuming such sightings were nothing more than elements of House Mordred, itself a vassal Household of Incaladion, given special leave to bear the Titan Legion’s iconography. Further analysis, conducted long after Paramar V had fallen, revealed flaws in this conclusion, with perhaps the most damning being the presence of runic script and icons upon the Knights’ armour consistent with the language of the tribes of Sasharam, a moon in close proximity to Incaladion. Almost universally, such Knight armours bore the etched name of Perdaxia on their carapace, leading Imperial records to denote the mystery force as House Perdaxia.

Themoon itself, though largely devoid of life thanks to much of its surface being rendered uninhabitable by blistering storms of irradiated particulate and the deadly rad-phage beasts that roam the wastes, was largely ignored by the Imperium. What few inhabitable areas existed were home to technologically-deficient tribes, their peoples often abducted by the Legio Fureans to replenish the Titan Legion’s ranks. Attempts by external agents to mount expeditions to the moon, under the auspice of archaeological missions to investigate potential locations for terraforming, were consistently blocked by the Incaladion Mechanicum during the Great Crusade. Given the isolationist nature of the Forge World, such rebukes were to be expected as the moon fell within the borders of Incaladion’s holdings. Later revelations of a Knight Household with potential links to the moon suggest a more sinister reason for the moon’s isolation, with some Tech-Priests proposing that rad-shielded fortresses could easily be shrouded by the moon’s rad-storms, offering a clandestine staging ground for a previously unheard of Knight Household.

To this day, only circumstantial evidence ties the mystery Knight Household to the moon of Sasharam; the use of the language associated with the stellar body’s tribes, evidence of techno-ritualistic behaviour consistent with the practices of the Legio Fureans and the prevalence of bond markings declaring a Knight armour’s servitude to Incaladion, all suggest close ties with the Traitor Forge World. Perhaps more worrying is the length of time which House Perdaxia has been in service to the Forge World and vassal to its Titan Legion. Analysis of fallen House Perdaxia Knights suggests many were Freeblades who flocked to the Warmaster’s side during the Horus Heresy, no doubt latching onto a Titan Legion to secure a position within the Traitor’s force. Nevertheless, over half of the Household’s numbers were more ancient in design and construction, hinting that House Perdaxia may have existed before the Forge World joined the Imperium, a theory supported by revelations that House Perdaxia Knights recovered during the Horus Heresy matched records of Knights deployed alongside the Legio Fureans during the Great Crusade, both times resplendent in the Titan Legion’s colours. Such an occurrence would mean the Household was purposefully kept secret, perhaps intended as a reserve force should Incaladion be forced to make war upon the Imperium. Regardless of its true origins, House Perdaxia proved steadfastly loyal to the Tiger Eyes, sacrificing dozens of Scions to save a single god-engine, their deadly skill greatly augmenting Incaladion’s order of battle.

MATERIEL STRENGTH Given the lack of data on House Perdaxia, if indeed it was a formal Household, the materiel strength of its forces is all but impossible to assert. By sheer observed numbers, the strength of House Perdaxia appears to have stood at several hundred Knight armours during the early years of the Great Crusade. On Paramar V, scores of Knights now identified as Perdaxia Scions took to the field and, though a significant portion of these were lost in the battle, scores more were seen working in concert with Legio Fureans demi-Legios in the months that followed. Short of the dedicated support of a high-grade Forge World, a Knight Household would be unable to sustain such numbers. One theory for the significant numbers of House Perdaxia Knights lies in data extracted from Perdaxia armours retrieved from various battlefields during the Horus Heresy. Such data reveals that while many of the Knights bore production marks consistent with the work of Incaladion forge-wrights, with carbon dating placing some as centuries old, others were identified as either Freeblade Knights or armours once sworn to other Households. Of these, all were scrubbed of their past allegiance, with past Household colours wiped clean and replaced with those of Perdaxia. Such revelations suggest that House Perdaxia may have actively accepted traitorous Freeblades and defecting Scions from other Knight Households during the Horus Heresy, greatly increasing the Household’s resilience in the face of brutal attrition.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Perdaxia High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Devoted Scion: TheSeneschal has served Legio Fureans faithfully for decades and, in acknowledgement of their service, has been bestowed modified technology utilised by Tiger Eyes Titans. Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance may purchase the Legio Fureans Hunting Auspex Wargear at a cost of +20 points; if the Seneschal’s Banner is an Acastus Knight Banner, the upgrade has a cost of +20 points per Knight in the Banner instead. TheHunting Auspex gives the same benefits to the Knights as it does a Titan. 2 Chosen Warlord: TheSeneschal is seen as a figure of prophecy amongst his warriors, with portents and omens foretelling the great deeds they will achieve. Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance can never become Shaken. However, from round 2 onwards, the first Order issued with a Banner within the Seneschal’s Lance must be a Charge order. 3 Ritualistic: TheSeneschal holds to the ancient rite of their home world, believing the spirits of their ancestors will guide them in battle. In the first round of the game, the Seneschal’s Lance may choose to forgo their activation in the Combat phase – in essence doing nothing for that phase but counting as one of the House Perdaxia player’s activations. If they do so, Banners in the Seneschal’s Lance can be issued orders during the second round of the game without the need to make a Command check.

House Perdaxia Acastus Knight Porphyrion

UAK-PER-45X1 In most witnessed examples, House Perdaxia uses the names of deities from the pre-histories of Terra’s Indic regions, prefixed with an

impenetrable code consisting of numbers, letters and more obscure runic symbols to denote its armours. As such, the true etymology

and lineage of Knights such as UAK-PER-45X1, depicted here during the first battle for Paramar V, often remains unknown. Like many of its ilk, its armour bore the colours of Legio Fureans and was seen near-exclusively accompanying the Titan Legion during

the Horus Heresy. Many House Perdaxia Scions displayed considerable skill on the battlefield, with UAK-PER-45X1 noted as severely damaging two Legio Gryphonicus god-engines on Paramar V. Regardless of the Household’s true origins, be it a purposefully concealed Knight House or one hastily formed from amalgamated Freeblades, House Perdaxia displayed vast tactical experience across

dozens of battlefields, speaking of a long legacy of combat.

House Hyboras

Title: TheConglomerate Knight House of Hyboras

Household Grade: Tertius

Patent: Warrant of Ancient Domain and Arms (recognised 872.M30, ratified 903.M30)

Warden Domain: Slestra

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: Anvillus; formal bonds with the Titan Legion of Vulpa

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

TheKnight World of Slestra is wracked by extreme volcanic activity rendering nearly four-fifths of the world uninhabitable due to its sulphurous atmosphere. What little colonisable landmass remains is populated by a hardy strain of humanity that proved an exceptional recruitment ground for new Solar Auxilia regiments and ruled over by the noble house of Hyboras. For much of the Age of Strife, the efforts of House Hyboras were devoted to culling the population of quadrupedal bioforms that made their breeding grounds in the molten wastelands. Dissection records indicate such creatures were possessed of a chitinous hide that proved highly resistant to munitions and allowed them to fully submerge beneath the rivers of lava that were prevalent on Slestra. In accordance with such a task, House Hyboras underwent a cultural shift where a Scion’s prowess in hunting became the ruling factor in choice of leadership. Thosewho wished to ascend to a higher position of command were required to best their betters in blood sports; the winner assumed command while the loser was exiled to the lowest position within the Household, required to once more prove their worthiness and climb its hierarchy.

Thecompetitive and hunt-orientated nature of House Hyboras made the Household a perfect companion for the Legio Vulpa, for the Titan Legion also placed greater emphasis on supremacy through conflict. Initial relations between the worlds of Slestra and Anvillus, established during the Age of Strife, were fraught with conflict, for neither part desired to be dominated by the other. Accords were agreed only after the principal strength of House Hyboras seized an Anvillus fleet and launched an assault upon the Forge World itself; though easily repelled by the overwhelming might of the Legio Vulpa’s god-engines, the Titan Legion subsequently honoured the Household for its boldness and courage, offering supplies and aid to rebuild in return for warriors to aid Anvillus in times of need.

At the time of the Horus Heresy, House Hyboras were steadfastly bound to the Legio Vulpa and willingly followed it into treachery. Several attempts were made to subjugate the world of Slestra, each one confounded by the hazardous planetary conditions and the consummate tactics of its Knight House. House Hyboras proved a significant force during the civil war that gripped Anvillus and its holdings, rallying traitorous elements and claiming huge swathes of industry for the Warmaster and the Legio Vulpa. TheScions of Hyboras proved troublesome to dislodge from the regions and small pockets of resistance still exist to this day, preventing the restoration of Anvillus’ rightful rule of its domain.

MATERIEL STRENGTH Thelimited population of Slestra did much to prevent House Hyboras from amassing large numbers. When the Knight House was rediscovered by the Imperium, it possessed an estimated 120-140 operational Knight armours, with preference shown towards the fielding of Knight Errants, Knight Gallants and Cerastus Knight Lancers. On the battlefield, House Hyboras favoured close-ranged tactics and the Household was publicly disdainful of long-ranged orientated Knight armours, going so far as to declare them a mark of shame. Consequently, House Hyboras held only a handful of Knight Porphyrion within its war vaults which were assigned to Scions once prominent in the Household’s upper echelons but who had subsequently been cast down following a challenge by a lesser. House Hyboras Scions who piloted Acastus Knights were often highly experienced yet bitter towards their newfound position, seeking to wash away their self-perceived shame in the blood of their foes. Thisanimosity was an oddity amongst the ranks of the Questoris Familia where the bestowment of such ancient Knight armours was usually seen as a high honour.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Hyboras High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Boastful Hunter: TheSeneschal frequently boasts about the beast they slew during the Great Crusade. Now their cohort eagerly hunts the Titan Legions in search of the greatest trophy. Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance add 1 to the result of all Armour rolls when making an attack with a weapon with the Melee trait against a unit whose Scale is 3 or more greater than the Banner’s Scale. 2 Savage Fighter: TheSeneschal has embraced their lust for battle, spurring their warriors to ever-greater acts of bloodletting, uncaring of their own safety. For each Hit roll of 6 made by the Seneschal’s Banner when attacking with a weapon with the Melee trait, it causes 2 hits rather than 1. However, add 1 to the result of all Armour rolls for attacks made with a weapon with the Melee trait against the Seneschal’s Banner. 3 Legacy of Blood: Amongst the Questoris Familia, the Seneschal is infamous for their savage deeds, known as a deadly foe few dare fight. At the end of the Movement phase, enemy Knight Banners within 6" of the Seneschal’s Banner must check to see if they are Shaken, as if one or more Knights within their Banner had been destroyed.

House Hyboras Cerastus Knight Lancer

CONFLAGUATION Thecolours of House Hyboras, depicted here on the Knight Lancer Conflaguation during the third battle of Slestra in

011.M31, were inspired by the volcanic nature of the Household’s home planet. Thoughorange served as the primary colour on the majority of known Hyboras armours, the Household’s tenets place no qualifiers on the official heraldry

of its scions beyond the basic colours. Because of this, battlegroups of House Hyboras Knights were often a riot of

orange and red, each individual banner and Knight daubing themselves as they saw fit. Post-conflict physiological reports suggest that those scions with greater amounts of red armour displayed heightened aggression compared to their peers, suggesting that Hyboras scions used red colours to identify those who would more willingly commit to

full-frontal assault.

House Hyboras Questoris Knight Errant

HONOURED ONE TheKnight armour Honoured One shares its name with the title bequeathed upon its pilot during the Horus Heresy. Scion Agaue Nastor features prominently in the honour rolls of House Hyboras and is noted for emerging victorious

in 17 leadership bouts, each one further securing her position as a leader amongst the Household. Despite frequent

plaudits, Nastor is reported to have repeatedly refused alternative armours, preferring instead to go to battle within

a Knight Errant for the four decades she fought during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy that followed. Nastor and Honoured One were last reported active in the regions surrounding Anvillus during the closing days of the Horus Heresy; House Hyboras continued fighting within the Anvillus region long after the fall of Horus and,

despite heavy losses, Nastor remains unaccounted for amongst the conflict’s recorded death toll.

House Devine

Title: TheImperial Knight House of Devine

Household Grade: Secundus

Patent: Warrant of Ancient Domain and Arms (recognised 869.M30, ratified 892.M30)

Warden Domain: Molech, de facto system rights recognised upon Compliance (renounced 024.M31)

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: None

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Even before the Warmaster’s corruption on Davin, and long before the horrors of Isstvan III, House Devine was descending into decadence and madness. For centuries, it had held the position of High House of Molech, its Seneschals ruling the world from the spires of the Dawn Citadel, but at the same time harbouring dark secrets. Over a century of rule by the Imperium had largely stamped out the superstitious practices of Molech’s people, principal among them the worship of an autochthonous serpent god, a primitive deity of excess and vengeance. Of course, the implementation of the Imperial Truth only drove the serpent god’s cults underground, and into the protective embrace of their ancient sponsors, House Devine. Once House Devine had been the Seneschals of the High King of Molech, legendary First Scions of the Knight World, and was unmatched in honour and bravery. However, when the High King’s bloodline was broken and the Knightly House fragmented, Devine’s journey into darkness truly began. Some whisper, well out of earshot of any members of the High House, that Devine’s ancestors had a hand in the ending of the High King’s line, perverted even then by the serpent god. It was certainly no accident that House Devine claimed the Western Marches, and what would one day become the city of Lupercalia, as their own, donning the mantle of High House long before the Imperium ratified it by recognising them as the rulers of Molech.

Despite the poison that festered at the heart of the Knight House, it maintained the outward appearance of nobility and honour. In fact, the last true Seneschal of Devine, Cyprian Devine, had little clue as to the machinations perpetrated by his wife and second son in the name of the serpent god. Perhaps, if he had been more aware, the fate of his House might have been different, though like so many of his peers he was blinded by tradition and his own bombastic sense of righteousness. In the end, it was Cyprian’s ignorance that spelled his doom, and he was murdered by his son Raeven, thus beginning the House’s descent not just into forbidden practices but ultimately into treachery.

Ironically though, when House Devine turned Traitor, and brought down the Legio Crucius Imperator class Titan the Paragon of Terra during the battle for Lupercalia, it was not Raeven piloting his Knight armour, Banelash, but Cyprian’s first born son, Albard, a man once as strong and righteous as Cyprian himself. Theplots and schemes of Raeven and his mother had seen Albard rejected by his Knight armour and held captive for decades as a gibbering wreck, tortured and tormented by his step-relatives. During the Warmaster’s invasion, Albard was able to at last escape, reclaiming his birthright and killing his half-brother, but ultimately becoming the last pilot of Banelash. However, as soon as Albard merged his broken mind with the Knight armour, he was subsumed by the corruption Raeven and the dark gods had planted there.

MATERIEL STRENGTH House Devine exhibited a distinct preference for the deployment of Cerastus armours, with Divisio Militaris records indicating that the Household numbered roughly 200 before the invasion of Molech, with over half that number being Knight Lancer and Knight Castigator armours. It is estimated that, contrary to the rapid decline of many Household’s numbers during the Horus Heresy, the strength of House Devine actually increased during this tumultuous era. This growth can be attributed to two factors: the scavenging of Knight armours from the Loyalist Households on Molech and the ready acceptance of Dark Mechanicum war machines in the Household’s ranks, with Devine Scions serving as test subjects for the various twisted designs produced by many traitorous Forge Worlds.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Devine High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Serpent Cultist: TheSeneschal is a secret member of the forbidden serpent cult of Molech, their personality warped and their bravery increased by its dark and disturbing rituals. When making a Command check to see if they become Shaken, all Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance add 1 to the dice roll. 2 Prideful Hunter: TheSeneschal is drawn to the glory of the kill and cannot resist when the opportunity presents to bring down the largest and most impressive prey. TheSeneschal may issue Charge orders to Banners within their Lance without the need to make a Command check. Additionally, Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance add D3" to their Speed when acting under Charge orders. However, Banners in the Seneschal’s Lance cannot be issued First Fire orders. 3 Old Guard: TheSeneschal is one of Cyprian Devine’s old inner circle and doggedly adheres to their duty and the traditions of the House no matter the cost. Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance can never become Shaken. However, at least one Banner within the Seneschal’s Lance must be given Charge orders in every round from round 2 onwards.

House Devine Cerastus Knight Lancer

BALEFIRE Decorated in the livery House Devine adopted after their claim to power over Molech was ratified by the Imperium, Balefire fought valiantly in the initial defence of Lupercalia. When House Devine turned

against their allies, Balefire acted without hesitation, falling upon those it was previously assigned to defend. Depicted here accompanying the Warmaster on his march to Terra, the Knight soon exemplified

the wanton decadence practiced by House Devine. Favouring brutal strikes against a Household’s

leadership, long is the list of Knight Houses that bear a grudge against Balefire and its pilots.

House Devine Questoris Knight Paladin

ARGENT SABRE Prior to the Compliance of Molech, the symbol of House Devine was that of a rampant ‘Naga’, a serpentine creature native

to the planet. As the Naga was also heavily utilised in symbology associated with the planet’s ancient worship of ‘serpent

gods’, House Devine altered its heraldry to include an Imperial Eagle, showing it as dominant over the old ways. This alteration, borne here by Argent Sabre shortly before the fall of the Paragon of Terra during the Battle of Molech, was viewed as a constant reminder of Imperial control by the more hardline elements of House Devine’s nobility. Following the treachery

of House Devine, many of its Knights removed any evidence of the Imperial Eagle, proclaiming that the Household was no

longer shackled to a foreign master; that many amongst the Household quickly adopted the eye of Horus or symbols of the

warp entities the Traitors called upon was a fact largely ignored by those who had long derided the Emperor.

House Gotrith

Title: TheDread Household of House Gotrith

Household Grade:Secundus (Minoris)

Patent: Warrant of Ancient Domain and Arms (recognised 884.M30, ratified 897.M30)

Warden Domain:Dallanar, de facto system rights recognised upon Compliance (renounced 024.M31)

Cognomen: TheBreakers of Fiends (informal, self- referential)

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds:No formal bonds, reciprocal ties established with the Forge World of Krytos.

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

It was upon the blasted and battle-scarred world of Dallanar Beta that House Gotrith was to be discovered, locked in bitter conflict amongst the ruined cities of a world that had weathered the Age of Strife only to fall foul of the greenskins as the Emperor ascended from Terra. Thoughtheir resistance remained staunch and their resolve unyielding, House Gotrith was unable to stem the tide of xenos that fell upon the world. It was only with the coming of the Great Crusade that their world was made free again. With aid from Forge Worlds across the Belt of Iron, House Gotrith swelled in strength and number, yet no amount of aid could repair the wound caused by the coming of the Imperium.

Even as their majesty grew, the Scions of House Gotrith watched as the populace of their world raised statues to the one they saw as protector, He who was the Emperor of Mankind. In this, House Gotrith became rulers of Dallanar in name only, no longer respected despite decades of sacrifice and bloodshed. Thuswas the salvation of Dallanar Beta the damnation of House Gotrith. Seeking glory and respect amongst its peers, House Gotrith scattered amongst the Expeditionary fleets, aiding the Great Crusade in the hope of forging a new legacy on which to build its name. In time, dozens of worlds told tales of the warriors of Gotrith but spoke only in hushed whispers, lest their words summoned the iron devils who had brought subjugation and death to their people. Thisfearsome reputation grew out of the brutal campaigns of conquest led by the Household, its warriors slaughtering any who dared defy their decree or even associate with one who did. Where House Gotrith marched, death followed and only deeds of blood were wrought in their name. It will remain forever unknown if such actions were committed out of a perverse desire to laud their strength over others or out of a need to show the Imperium that House Gotrith was the strongest of all. If the latter was their motivation in that they were denied, for few desired to call such dealers of death friends and the Scions of House Gotrith soon found themselves little more than guards of worlds conquered by those deemed more palatable than the Household.

Unwilling to stand by as others chose their fate, the scattered warriors of House Gotrith returned to Dallanar Beta, gathering as one to decide their course. It was then that news reached Dallanar of the Warmaster’s betrayal, opening a new road down which the Household would walk. Thefirst to feel their blades were the people of Dallanar itself, House Gotrith turning on those who no longer respected the Household, daring them to call out to the Emperor for protection. Baptised in the blood of their subjects, House Gotrith departed to the stars, forging a new legacy of conquest as they strove to tear down the Imperium.

MATERIEL STRENGTH As a Knight Household specialised in urban warfare, attrition proved the limiting factor in the growth of House Gotrith’s strength, with an estimated 140 Knight armours in operation at the onset of the Horus Heresy. Prevalent amongst the demands of war was the Household’s ability to quickly reinforce their numbers, leading its Scions to favour the more easily producible Questoris Knight patterns, which formed the principal strength of House Gotrith at all times. Themost lauded of Scions were given the right to pilot the scant few Cerastus Knight Acheron and Knight Castigators held within the Household’s vaults. Gotrith Cerastus Knights were integral to the Knight House’s success in urban warfare, forming roving banners that sought out heavy areas of resistance, scouring them clean with flame and bolt cannons.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Gotrith High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Destroyer of Civilisations: TheSeneschal has overseen the fall of entire worlds, feeling truly alive only when crushing all before them. Models within the Seneschal’s Banner add 1 to the result of all Armour rolls for attacks made against a target of a Scale at least 6 higher than themselves. 2 Furious Assault: TheSeneschal revels in fighting up close and rains blow after blow upon their opponents with no thought to their own safety. For each Hit roll of 6 made by the Seneschal’s Banner when attacking with a weapon with the Melee trait, it causes 2 hits rather than 1. However, add 1 to the result of all Armour rolls for attacks made with a weapon with the Melee trait against the Seneschal’s Banner. 3 Urban Fighter: TheSeneschal has a reputation for their skill in urban warfare, able to stalk the streets and strike before anyone knows they are there. For the duration of the first round, attacks made against a Banner within the Seneschal’s Lance suffer a -2 modifier to the Hit roll if the target model is at least 25% obscured, rather than the usual -1.

House Gotrith Cerastus Knight Acheron

MALLIUM BELLA Painted in the dull greys of its House, the Mallium Bella was built and armed for city fighting. As the dark

deeds of the Warmaster began to mount, and the Cataclysm of Iron dragged on, Knight armours like the Mallium Bella were used more frequently by the Traitors. When suppressing a population, few things inspired

fear like the Acheron, the growl of its reaper chainfist the tolling of a death bell for its enemies, while the roar of its flame cannon became the sound of cities burning and lives being extinguished all across the Belt of Iron.

House Gotrith Acastus Knight Porphyrion

ANOLCITEN House Gotrith possessed few operational Acastus Knights, with many of its most ancient armours destroyed during the Household’s long conflict with greenskin invaders. To preserve those that remained, House Gortrith

deployed Acastus Knights solely during prolonged sieges or against armoured companies. When committed, Porphyrions such as Anolciten coordinated with dedicated banners of Cerastus Knights. ThePorphyrion Knights

would create breaches in the enemy lines which the Cerastus Banners would then exploit. At all times, a pair of

Cerastus Knights would guard the Acastus to ensure the Household did not lose another of its precious relics.

House Mordred

Title: TheTributary Household of Mordred

Household Grade: Secundus

Patent: Warrant of Serfdom, issued by the Imperial Court at the request of the Incaladine Mechanicum.

Warden Domain: Incaladion

Cognomen: TheTiger’s Claws (informal; references a specific fraternal detachment)

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: Bound in service to the Forge World of Incaladion

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Drawn from the same world as the Legio Fureans, House Mordred was founded during the Age of Strife. Loyal to the Forge World’s rulers, the House found itself embroiled in the near-constant cycle of battle that wracked Incaladion until it was liberated by the Great Crusade. Thismillennia of warfare saw the two entities forge an eternal bond of brotherhood that called both into service at the forefront of the Great Crusade. Thisbrotherhood was reaffirmed each time House Mordred and the Tiger Eyes shared the field of battle, through ceremonies often deemed crude and primitive to outside observers. In exceptional cases, a Princeps would accept a Banner as sworn vassals, the Knights swearing oaths in ritualistic trials of blood that superseded any oath they had previously spoken. Thisseemingly unshakable bond ensured that, when the Tiger Eyes declared for the Warmaster, House Mordred followed in their wake.

Thewarfare practiced by House Mordred was methodical and brutal, for they marched in the shadow of Titans to eradicate anything that dared survive the power of the god-engines. For House Mordred, mercy was an unfathomable concept and none was offered to those within conquered cities, for they cared little for the distinction between the innocent and the guilty. When the House was engaged in theatres of war separate from the Legio Fureans, such behaviour often placed them at odds with commanders more appreciative towards the value of life and many were the requests that House Mordred’s savage excesses be reined in.

Theuncompromising reputation House Mordred held proved indispensable in the opening years of the Horus Heresy, for their Scions showed no hesitation in turning upon those they once fought alongside. Much of House Mordred’s strength remained at the side of the Legio Fureans, their numbers making notable contributions to both the invasion of Paramar V and the subsequent conflict in the Beta-Garmon Cluster. Theremaining strength was pledged to the Warmaster as tribute, serving under his will above all others and bringing wanton slaughter to dozens of worlds in his name.

MATERIEL STRENGTH In strength and deposition of arms, House Mordred was unremarkable, with its number estimated to stand at 170- 190 at the onset of the Horus Heresy. TheHousehold’s close association with the Forge World of Incaladion ensured it was readily supplied with new armours. Detachments of House Mordred were outfitted to complement the tactics of the Legio Fureans, with two-thirds of the Household’s strength consisting of Questoris Knight armours that protected the vulnerable flanks and rear of the Tiger Eyes’ Warlord Titans. TheHorus Heresy forced a change in the Legio Fureans’ makeup, the attrition of war combined with the need for rapid resupply leading the Titan Legion to incorporate increasing numbers of Reaver Titans within their demi-Legios. Alongside this, House Mordred underwent changes, deploying an increasing number of Cerastus Knight armours to support the faster elements of the Titan Legion.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Mordred High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Ancestral Pride: TheSeneschal holds unshakeable faith in the rites and rituals performed by their ancestors, believing they are the key to victory against all odds. In the first round of the game, the Seneschal’s Lance may choose to forgo their activation in the Combat phase – in essence doing nothing for that phase but counting as one of the House Mordred player’s activations. If they do so, Banners in the Seneschal’s Lance can be issued Orders during the second round of the game without the need to make a Command check. 2 Tapestry of Deeds: Each victory the Seneschal achieves is immortalised upon their standard to inspire all who look upon it. If the Seneschal’s Banner contains a Battle Standard and the Knight carrying it is on the battlefield, friendly Banners within 12" of the Seneschal’s Banner cannot be shaken. 3 Aggression Unbound: Thefield of battle is the Seneschal’s true home and the only place they feel alive. When acting under Charge orders during the Movement phase, one Knight per Banner within the Seneschal’s Lance may add D3 to the Dice value of a single weapon.

House Mordred Questoris Knight Warden

GLATISANT Piloted by Scion Agvain, a seasoned veteran of three decades of war, Glatisant participated in numerous

battles across Ultramar. An ardent believer in the rituals of his home world, Agvain refused to send his Banner into battle without observing the lengthy rites of devotion to House Mordred’s feral representation of the Omnissiah. Thesebeliefs could not be called into question and none, friend or foe, were spared Agvain’s

wrath should they show disrespect to the practices of the Household. Such devotion saw Agvain rise quickly within the ranks, and he was granted the rank of Seneschal when House Mordred descended upon Espandor.

House Mordred Cerastus Knight Castigator

PRODITOR ANATHEMA In the sectors surrounding Paramar V, the name of Proditor Anathema still stands in infamy for the repeated planetary raids it conducted during the Paramar Successions. Of particular note was the extreme manner in which the Knight’s Scion responded to any hint of Loyalist support amongst the civilian population. Proditor Anathema would frequently lead raids upon population centres rumoured to harbour resistance cells, or annihilate relief convoys intended for war-torn areas. Such attacks would only abate

when new, public oaths of loyalty to the Warmaster were proclaimed by every citizen within an area; pict evidence of these oaths

was retained to be used at mock trials should the loyalty of the planet’s population ever be brought into question again.

House Vextrix

Title: TheVedette Household of Vextrix

Household Grade: Tertius

Patent: Warrant of Ancient Domain and Arms (recognised 879.M30, ratified 898.M30)

Warden Domain: Daxos Gemini, de facto system rights recognised upon Compliance (renounced 019.M31)

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: Formal bonds of custodianship with Mars.

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Hailing from Daxos Gemini, a Knight World located within the Segmentum Obscurus and discovered by Explorator fleets dispatched from Mars, the integration of House Vextrix into the Imperium proved a bloodless affair. Notably, the warriors of House Vextrix were eager students in the ways of the Cult Mechanicus, accepting ever-increasing numbers of emissaries from Mars as a sign of the Household’s devotion to the new order unto which they had now been accepted. In acknowledgement of the strong connection between Daxos Gemini and Mars, combined with a desire to facilitate rapid integration of House Vextrix into the Expeditionary fleets, responsibility for tactical assignments of the Household’s strength was bequeathed to the Fabricator General.

Accepted as honoured servants of the Omnissiah, House Vextrix were regularly sent forth across the galaxy alongside the Legio Mortis. In this role, the warriors of Vextrix acted as enforcers of the Fabricator General’s will with a particular focus on the retrieval and protection of any fragment of desirable knowledge held by rediscovered strands of humanity throughout the galaxy. On occasion, those that served with distinction were assigned a place amongst the personal bodyguard of the Fabricator General of Mars himself. To be given such a role was perceived as a great honour amongst the ranks of House Vextrix and did much to secure the ascension of those chosen individuals to positions of authority within the Household.

So it came to be that, by the end of the Great Crusade, the ruling class was placed there as much by virtue of their association with Mars as they were by their skill-at-arms. It is perhaps safe to presume that those leaders of House Vextrix, so entangled with the Fabricator General, were the driving force behind the Household’s march down the path of treachery. As a sign of their commitment to the Fabricator General, the first act of House Vextrix during the Horus Heresy was to adorn the buttresses of their fortress upon Daxos Gemini with the corpses of the ruling Noble House whose loyalty to the Imperium proved unquestionable. After purging their world of dissenting elements, the warriors of House Vextrix took to the stars in service to the Warmaster. Many were placed alongside the Legio Mortis, supporting the Titan Legion in some of the most pivotal conflicts of the Horus Heresy. In recognition of their devotion to the cause, the remaining numbers of House Vextrix were assigned tasks according to the whims of the Fabricator General, given leave to pursue such goals by whatever means they deemed fit. It was this role that led to several dozen warriors of House Vextrix being dispatched to the Belt of Iron, ordered to conquer all in the Warmaster’s name.

MATERIEL STRENGTH ThoughHouse Vextrix stood amongst the smallest of Knight Houses, capable of fielding an estimated 140 Knight armours at the onset of the Horus Heresy, its war vaults were well-stocked with rarer patterns. Indeed, a quarter of House Vextrix’s strength consisted of Knight Magaera, Knight Styrix and Knight Asterius armours, a rarity amongst any Household, let alone one of House Vextrix’s size and lineage. Thisdiscrepancy can be attributed to Daxos Gemini’s close ties to Mars, with shipment records highlighting the frequent supply convoys leaving the Red Planet destined for the Knight World. House Vextrix’s rarer armours saw frequent use in service to the Fabricator General, primarily as part of his honour detail. As the Horus Heresy progressed, it was these Knight armours that underwent the most radical changes within House Vextrix, welcoming any modifications blessed by the Fabricator General and proudly displaying their allegiance.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Vextrix High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Dauntless: A veteran of war, the Seneschal has strode dozens of battlefields and nothing will stop them from achieving victory. As long as the Seneschal is on the battlefield, Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance cannot be Shaken. However, the Seneschal’s Banner does not add 3 to the result of any of its Command checks, as described in Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech. 2 Soul of Decay: A rot has taken hold within the Seneschal, changing their very being into a creature seemingly immune to pain. Whenever the Seneschal’s Banner suffers Critical or Devastating Damage, roll a D6. On a 6, the damage is reduced by one level, i.e., a Critical Hit becomes Devastating Hit, a Devastating Hit becomes a Direct Hit. 3 Implacable Foe: TheSeneschal has never met a foe they cannot kill, laying waste to some of the greatest champions of civilisations across the galaxy. Knights within the Seneschal’s Banner may re-roll Armour rolls of a 1 when making an attack during the Movement phase as part of a Charge order.

House Vextrix Questoris Knight Styrix

FRACTURED ANGEL A blessing from Mars, the Fractured Angel was one of the first Styrix Knight armours gifted to House Vextrix when they swore their oaths to the Red Planet. After the Mechanicum was riven by betrayal and the Fabricator

General sided with the Warmaster, House Vextrix honoured its ancient accords by using Knight armours like the Fractured Angel to wreak havoc in the name of the Dark Mechanicum. Throughoutthe Cataclysm of Iron,

this particular Knight armour would be responsible for some of the greatest violent excesses of House Vextrix

against Loyalist worlds.

House Vextrix Cerastus Knight Atrapos

STEADFAST AEGIS Steadfast Aegis was one of several House Vextrix Knights present on Mars during the Death of Innocence, assigned to the Red Planet as part of the Fabricator General’s personal bodyguard. As the Horus Heresy proved, Atrapos pattern Knights were considerably effective at felling god-engines, and thus Steadfast Aegis rarely stood in the presence of Kelbor-Hal himself.

Instead, the Knight and its two companions, Valour’s Duty and Spear of Daxos, were regularly assigned hunter-killer missions, combing the red sands of Mars for surviving groups of Loyalist Titans and armour. Thehonour banners of the three Knights

display a considerable number of heavy armour, Knight and god-engine kills, proving the three Vextrix Atrapos earned their

position of prominence by virtue of their consummate skill on the battlefield.

House Ioeden

Title: TheImperial Knight House of Ioeden

Household Grade: Secundus

Patent: Partial Warrant of Ancient Domain and Arms (recognised 902.M30, ratified 921.M30)

Warden Domain: Cirizan II

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: No formal bonds

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Thetale of House Ioeden is a bitter one, for the Household once stood as guardians of two dozen worlds, lords of an empire grander than most. So great was their prowess that even the Age of Strife and the predations of foul xenos could not topple them, for they stood strong against the horrors unleashed upon the galaxy. Yet their good fortune was not fated to last forever and it was ambition and pride that would see their downfall. Thoughmuch has been lost from the records of the House, it is clear that treachery from within toppled its empire for, as brother turned upon brother, anarchy enveloped their worlds. In time, the Knights of House Ioeden became little more than raiders, warbands of once-honourable Knights clinging to the shadows as they sought to reclaim a sliver of what they had once possessed.

Raiders they remained until the coming of the Imperium and, though House Ioeden resisted Compliance at first, they were enticed to the Emperor’s side by promises that, in time, their empire would be restored and their Household united once more. Holding to their oaths, detachments of House Ioeden joined the Expeditionary fleets of the Great Crusade, each disparate element falling under the command of one who desired the title of High King once their House stood united. As the decades passed, the Imperium held true to its word, restoring those worlds lost to House Ioeden – yet it was not House Ioeden who would rule but lesser men born upon foreign worlds. As more of their ancestral land fell into the hands of others, hope within House Ioeden was replaced by bitterness. It took little effort for the Warmaster to bring the Household to his side, promising them their worlds if they could but take them from the hands of the Emperor.

Motivated by their desire to regain the power they had once held, House Ioeden spat upon their oaths, uniting for the first time in millennia. Whole again, their Knights fell upon their home world of old, butchering those loyal to the Emperor and ruling those that remained with an iron fist. Yet House Ioeden were not destined to return to glory for they quickly fell upon one another, splintering into factions as many sought to ascend above their peers. Riven by distrust, it took little effort for others to seize their worlds, casting House Ioeden into exile. No longer beholden to honour, duplicity and misdirection became the weapons of the House, their Knights often marching into battle bearing the heraldry of ancient Households before falling upon their erstwhile allies, only later events revealing that it was House Ioeden that had perpetrated such treacheries. Little remained of the coherent entity they had once been, for the Knights of House Ioeden once more became raiders, making war from the shadows in the Warmaster’s name, searching for glory long denied to them.

MATERIEL STRENGTH Divisions within House Ioeden, combined with infighting and frequent transfer of Knight Banners between Household battlegroups, owing to its Scions changing allegiance from one heir claimant to another, make it near impossible to establish a firm measure of strength. At the onset of the Horus Heresy, seven heir claimants existed, each of which held their own warband of Scions. Thelargest, consisting of an estimated 75 Knights, was led by Malikkia Ioeden and active in the regions around the Forge World of Ryza. An additional 90 Knights were confirmed active across the remaining warbands, rating House Ioeden as a Secundus-grade Household. Cerastus and Questoris pattern armours were the most common, with few rarer patterns having survived the collapse of House Ioeden’s old empire; those that did were readily fought over, resulting in considerable delays to the repair of such ancient relics.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Ioeden High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Hidden Loyalties: TheSeneschal is a snake, concealing their loyalties until betrayal will deliver the deadliest of blows. During the Movement phase of the first round, so long as the Seneschal is on the battlefield, Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance cannot be targeted by an enemy attack as long as they have not been activated yet that phase. 2 Dishonourable: TheSeneschal believes a fair fight is one already lost and seeks victory through any means. Models within the Seneschal’s Banner add 1 to Armour rolls made when making attacks against enemy units while within that unit’s Side or Rear arc, in addition to any other modifiers. 3 From the Shadows: TheSeneschal wields misdirection like a weapon, never revealing their plan until the last possible moment. At the start of the Strategy phase of the first round, Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance may be redeployed. Theseredeployed units can be placed anywhere that they would normally be allowed to deploy by the mission being played.

House Ioeden Cerastus Knight Castigator

RIGHTFUL MONARCH Piloted by Malikkia Ioeden, the Rightful Monarch, pictured here during the Scourge of Nighale in 001.M31, bears the official colours of the Household from when it once reigned over a stable empire. Since the fracturing of House Ioeden during the Age of Strife, no single High King had ruled, with many claimants vying for supremacy of the Household at any one time. Malikkia

was one such claimant and gained significant support during the waning years of the Great Crusade thanks largely due to the favour the Warmaster showed to him. Theiconography displayed on the banner of Rightful Monarch showcases the blood duels

Malikkia had fought against other claimants, with the sword representing his martial supremacy and the two kill markings the

‘usurpers’ who had fallen to his blade.

House Ioeden Questoris Knight Paladin

STALWARTWARRIOR Stalwart Warrior was one of 17 Questoris Knights recorded within the retinue of the Rightful Monarch at the onset of the

Horus Heresy, its allegiance marked by the personal heraldry of Malikkia Ioeden borne upon its left shoulder. Combat records place the last known location of Stalwart Warrior on Ryza during the invasion of the Forge World, the Questoris Knight given a position of command in honour of its past service. Fragmented pict-captures suggest that Ryza may have

been the Knight’s final resting place as, following the conquest of Conveyance Terminus Nine-Omega, evidence exists

tying the unknown pilot to a blood duel challenge issued to Malikkia Ioeden; that the latter was seen in subsequent

battles on Ryza while the former was not suggests Rightful Monarch added a new tally to its honour banner.

House Oroborn

Title: TheImperial Knight House of Oroborn

Household Grade: Secundus

Patent: Warrant of Ancient Domain and Arms (recognised 914.M30, ratified 951.M30)

Warden Domain: Irra, de facto system rights recognised upon Compliance (renounced 032.M31)

Cognomen: None; Post-heresy: TheInflicted

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: No formal bonds, reciprocal ties established with the Forge World of Agripinaa

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

When news of treachery perpetrated by House Oroborn reached the wider Imperium, many doubted the veracity of such information, for the Household once held a fierce devotion to both Imperium and Emperor. It was the Great Crusade that revived the fortunes of House Oroborn, finding the Household engaged within a centuries-old war with xenos creatures and perched upon the edge of extinction. Saved from death by the armies of the Imperium, the Household swore oaths of eternal servitude, their Scions taking their place upon departing Expeditionary fleets even as representatives from the Mechanicum rebuilt their broken world.

Thetrue motivations behind House Oroborn’s eventual betrayal will forever remain hidden, yet many speak of a malaise that gripped the Knights of House Oroborn in the years before the Isstvan Massacre. In time, many of the Household’s Scions returned to their home world, gathering in great numbers as they sought to purge that which now gripped their House. It was fear that drove their actions for, though known by few outside House Oroborn, the affliction that had fallen upon the Household was predicted by an ancient prophecy foretold in ages past, telling of a time of woe where House Oroborn would cease to be. Thoughsuch beliefs were opposed by the Imperial Truth, it appeared superstition held firm and House Oroborn lent every effort to avoid their supposed fate as more Scions returned bearing signs of sickness. Fearful of retribution by the wider Imperium, House Oroborn turned inwards, hiding from their duties and the prying eyes of others. It was then agents of Warmaster approached House Oroborn, offering them salvation if they would but swear new oaths of fealty to the Warmaster above all.

Thefate of House Oroborn was not revealed for many years. When they took to the field of battle once more, they did so beside the Warmaster, turning against the Imperium in their desperation for survival. Tragically, their betrayal did nothing but seal such a fate, for the sickness that had stricken House Oroborn only festered, corrupting all it touched. Thosewho had once counted House Oroborn as their allies wept to see the defilement of its once-proud Knights, for what strode beside the Warmaster resembled little of what had once been, consumed by fear and suffering until only husks remained.

MATERIEL STRENGTH Records indicate that before House Oroborn withdrew from the Great Crusade and isolated itself upon its home world, its numbers approached 200 operational Knight armours. On the battlefield, House Oroborn favoured the widespread deployment of Questoris Knights in varying patterns, relying on the tactical prowess of its Seneschals to direct the appropriate banners to counter enemy tactics. TheKnight House is also noted to have contained a greater than average number of Knight Porphyrion within its ranks; in extended conflicts, House Oroborn would secure landing zones and establish firebases around them with its Acastus Knights. From there, Questoris Knight banners would range further afield, striking at key strategic targets before withdrawing back to protected strongholds.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Oroborn High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 All But Dead: A foul change has gripped the Seneschal, for they feel neither pain nor joy, driven only by a burning need to conquer in the name of the Warmaster. As long as the Seneschal is on the battlefield, the Seneschal’s Banner cannot be Shaken. In addition, reduce the Strength value of any attack made against the Seneschal’s Banner by 1, to a minimum of 1. However, the Seneschal’s Banner does not add 3 to the result of any of its Command checks, as described in Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech. 2 Noxious: Thejoints of the Seneschal’s armour weep foul fluids, each drop rusting armour and decaying flesh. Any unit, friend or foe, within 3" of the Seneschal’s Banner when it is activated in the Combat phase suffers D3 S5 hits. Titans suffer these hits to their Legs. House Oroborn units are not affected by this rule. However, the Seneschal’s Banner may not include a Battle Standard. 3 Last of their Line: TheSeneschal has so far staved off the worst of the corruption rooted within their Household and seeks an honourable death before they too are consumed. As long as the Seneschal is on the battlefield, Banners within the Seneschal’s Lance may be issued Charge orders without the need to make a Command check. However, at least one Banner within the Seneschal’s Lance must be given Charge orders in every round from round 2 onwards if possible.

House Oroborn Knight Warden

SHIELD OF HOPE Thoughfew outside the Household knew the true impetus that drove House Oroborn to treachery, evidence of corruption

was clear upon their forms when the House reemerged alongside the forces of the Warmaster. Every Knight armour of House Oroborn displayed signs of decades of decay, with many of their armours coated in rust, while others leaked noxious fluids from the joints, each drop corroding anything it touched. Perhaps the most tragic sign of corruption were the scattered vox fragments Imperial forces received when attempts were made to communicate with the Scions of House

Oroborn, the endless cries of agony hinting at the dark fate that had befallen the Household.

House Oroborn Cerastus Knight Lancer

GUARDIAN OF DUTY Theranks of House Oroborn included few Cerastus Knights, even before the revelations of their defection to the Traitor’s cause. When the Household emerged from its self-imposed seclusion on Irra, the few Cerastus Knights it

maintained showed considerable decay, stippled with rust and sluggish in movements. Guardian of Duty, depicted

here on the muster fields of Irra circa 007.M31, represented the most minimal of changes wrought upon the Household, with more extreme examples involving a seemingly endless stream of ichor flowing from the armour

joints. Guardian of Duty was to fall during the battle for the paradise world of Vizagor IV, reportedly leading a

solitary, suicidal charge directly at the Loyalist guns as its companion Knights fled the battlefield.

House Malinax

Title: TheMechanicum Knight Household of Malinax

Household Grade: Secundus

Patent: Imperial Writ of Vassalage, issued by the Imperium Court to the Tech-Priests of Xana II. Litterae Patentes duly recorded by the Officio Militaris College of Arms.

Warden Domain: Xana II

Allied Legions/Forge Worlds: Xana II; bound to the Legio Vulturum.

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

House Malinax was founded shortly after the incorporation of the Forge World Xana II into the Imperium, the regressed Malin-Qatlu Scion bloodline reforged and rehomed upon the world. Provided as they were with both fresh machines and Scions, the newly-patented House Malinax would acquit themselves with much honour during the waning years of the Great Crusade, endearing themselves greatly to the allies they served alongside. Despite such a record, the isolation of its home world and the uneasy alliance through which the Forge World of Xana was incorporated into the Imperium ensured that House Malinax gained a sinister reputation. Often its Scions were deployed alongside the Titans of the Legio Vulturum, a Titan Legion sworn to the service of Xana II, only further increasing the whispers of questionable allegiances owing to the lack of trust in its master’s true loyalty.

Ultimately, the doubts surrounding the loyalties of Xana II and, by association, House Malinax, proved well-founded when the Warmaster turned the Forge World to his cause. During the initial years of the Horus Heresy, the Lords of Xana used their isolated nature to play both sides, aiding the Warmaster’s forces while negotiating deals with the Imperium in secret. In time, these double dealings were revealed and House Malinax was declared Traitor alongside its masters. Thougha swift attack by the Imperium caused a delay to the Forge World’s efforts to supply the Warmaster’s forces, House Malinax was largely unaffected and elements of its forces aided the Warmaster and his allies in a number of key battles across the galaxy.

As befitting a Knight Household founded upon a powerful Forge World such as Xana II, House Malinax was well supplied, its contingents often having access to a variety of different Knight armours including several rarer classes, such as the Knight Porphyrion and Knight Magaera, being far more prevalent within House Malinax compared to other Knight Houses. Thisability to draw upon such technologies ensured House Malinax played a key role against Loyalist forces, capable of bringing superior firepower against opposing Knight Houses while remaining a credible threat to isolated groups of Titans.

MATERIEL STRENGTH By the time of the Horus Heresy, the forges of Xana II had swelled the numbers of House Malinax to an estimated 200 Knight armours, making the Household a Secundus grade Knight House. Ident data extracted from fallen House Malinax Knights during the Horus Heresy show that large quantities of the Household’s numbers bore signs of recent construction, a fact that speaks for the potency of Xana II’s forges. Most worrying for Loyalist forces was the significant number of newly-forged Knight armours of more sophisticated patterns such as the Knight Atrapos, Magaera and Styrix, the quick production of which remains a rare feat and speaks volumes as to the strength of Xana II’s industry.

Household Specific Knightly Qualities A House Malinax High Scion or Seneschal Knightly Quality can either be generated from the table on page 38 of Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech, or by rolling a D3 on the table that follows:

D3 KNIGHTLY QUALITY 1 Elusive: TheSeneschal is secretive and reserved by nature, surrounded by a web of lies that conceals their true identity. If the Seneschal is destroyed, the player may choose a friendly Banner of the same type as the Seneschal’s Banner to designate as the new Seneschal’s Banner. One model of your choice within that Banner is designated as the Seneschal, replacing the Lord Scion or High Scion if one is present. TheBanner follows all rules for containing a Seneschal’s Banner but has no Knightly Quality. Only the Lance designated as the Seneschal’s Lance during battlegroup selection counts for the purpose of determining Victory points and other scenario effects, however the new Banner counts as the Seneschal’s Banner for any other purposes. When choosing Stratagems, the presence of the Seneschal does not add additional Stratagem points. 2 Trusted Bearer: TheSeneschal is trusted with ancient technology designed to enhance the weaponry of its bearer and must be preserved no matter the cost. Knights within the Seneschal’s Banner may re-roll any Armour rolls of a 1 for any attacks they make with a weapon without the Melee trait. However, the Seneschal’s Banner cannot be issued Charge orders. 3 Favoured Scion: TheSeneschal is a favoured child of Xana II and has access to advanced modifications for their suits, a display of favouritism that displeases other Scions. When the Seneschal’s Banner suffers a Direct Hit, roll a D6. On the roll of a 5 or 6, the hit is ignored. However, the Seneschal’s Banner does not add 3 to the result of any of its Command checks, as described in Adeptus Titanicus: Doom of Molech.

House Malinax Acastus Knight Porphyrion

XOTLATLICI An example of one of the rarer patterns of Knight armours to be fielded by House Malinax, Xotlatlici is noted

as being under the control of the Scion Machtectlan across numerous fields of battle, including several that took place during the Crusade of Iron. Of particular note was the apparent skill Machtectlan held in combating

enemy Titans, utilising the heavy firepower Xotlatlici offered in close support of hunting packs of Legio Audax

Scout Titans to topple the mightiest of foes. Thispartnership between Legio and Household was to end in betrayal, with target logs extracted from the broken form of Xotlatlici registering Legio Audax Titans as foes

in its final moments, an act of betrayal spurred on by an apparent dispute over who claimed the final kill of a

House Malinax Questoris Knight Errant

THONAL Thepersonal Knight armour of the darkly renowned Scion Zholon-Kuthos, the Knight Errant Thonalis named for a figure of the underworld drawn from the deathly mythologies of the bloodlines of Makabius.

As Banner-marshal of his force, Zholon-Kuthos commanded numerous actions in the furtherance of the

Warmaster’s cause, even though the Forge World to which Makabius was bonded – Xana – was wont to chart an autonomous course dedicated to its own interests. It was while supporting the Traitor Legio Ulricon during the Scouring of Arten’s World that the Scions of Knight Banner Zholon-Kuthos won its

darkest honour, slaying three times their own number of Knights of House Vornherr.