Solar Auxilia Rapiers

I assembled my Solar Auxilia Rapiers. They look really cool! I actually intended for them to be for my Imperial Militia, but I need 2 more guys for the 2 militia gunners per carrier, rather than the current 1 per carrier. Oh, well. We'll see how it goes.

I chose the laser destroyers. I needed anti-tank since my Imperial Militia is full of volkite, and we don't have anything that can deal with vehicles. So laser destroyers are perfect for that. I think.

The Rapier kit is also a wealth of bits. I feel like I can kitbash infantry squads for Imperial Militia with the arms and lasrifles! If I do anything with them, I'll show you guys in future, but for now I need a break. And to read the Tallarn book! I'll do a write up for that soon!

The Return of Yarrick Lore

As usual, I'll write a short summary of the lore in The Return of Yarrick. I'm exhausted, so I won't write much, and I won't write in detail. Maybe I'll just do a bullet point list. I've been regularly working until 9pm everyday and reaching home past 10pm for the last few weeks. I even had to forfeit a planned paid leave because I had to work. Oh, well. It is what it is. Honor and duty, just like the Imperial Knight scion I am. Speaking of which, we have Knights in this book! Not a lot of Space Marines - only a few Space Wolves who show up at the beginning, and are barely metioned again (Yarrick musing to himself how they must have succeeded in protecting Armageddon's water supply), but this book is entirely dedicated to the Imperial Guard...plus their Knight allies. Just the way I like it! The Adeptus Astartes will get their chance to shine in 11th edition anyway, so let the Astra Militarum hog the spotlight for once.

- Yarrick chases Ghazghkull to Icaria, where the latter got Orkimedes and Nazdreg to build a mass tellyporta that went out of control and broke the planet apart.

- Yarrick gets his skull caved in and bones broken after poking Ghazghkull with his power claw.

- The survivors flee Icaria, and thinking Yarrick is dead, spread the news.

- But the Space Wolves save Yarrick, bring him back to life, and tell him he is important to the fate of Armageddon.

- They return on a frigate, Ice Troll, and Yarrick prepares to descend on a Thunderhawk along with a handful of Space Wolves.

- After the season of Blood, which was the whole Angron invasion of Armageddon in the last Crusade supplement, Armageddon receives reinforcements during the long months of Season of Fire, including several Order of Our Martyred Lady preceptories, led by Canoness Preceptor Mercia and Intranzia Fraye (who now has a model). Oh, and Inquisitor Ynigoh Kroyle of the Ordo Xenos too, who also has a model.

- The planetary governor, Agmund von Ruger, calls for an offensive to wipe out the Orks, but General Tybault Locke of the Armageddon Steel Legion wisely thinks it's a bad idea. Reckless and impractical.

- Unfortunately, Commissar Graves - and I think someone in the writing team named her Graves on purpose - steps in and practically threatens everyone at gunpoint to go along with von Ruger's crazy plan.

- Left with no choice, Locke forms army-sized Purgation Corps to burn down the forest, but while they're spread thin (and having success in incinerating lots of Orks), Waaagh! Ghazghkull teleports straight into the Armageddon system, smashes apart Battle Fleet Armageddon and drops billions of Orks onto Armageddon.

- With that mass tellyporta thing causing disruptions in the warp, Armageddon can't send out an astropathic message for help...but fortunately, Yarrick has a MacGuffin that could boost the Astropaths' powers. Why he just didn't use the Astropaths on the Space Wolves strike cruiser (wait, what? They called it a frigate a few pages ago), Ice Troll, I have no clue. Maybe the astropaths in the Hive Cities are more powerful?

- Wazdakka and his speedwaaagh! are at the vanguard.

- They sweep past the Meridium, Orientum and Liberation Lines. The poor Krieg 547th Line Korps...anyway, they reach the Mannheim Gap, where Locke's reinforcements just happen to emerge from.

- The Astra Militarum forces, caught in the open, make their last stand. But Yarrick shows up to save them, and they rout the Orks before withdrawing. Oh, three Space Wolves join Yarrick, but then they return to their gunship to fly to the Deadlands, to secure crucial supplies of water and promethium, so they aren't with the Imperial Guard for long. So it's mostly Militarum Tempestus Scions from Valkyries who accompany Yarrick from this point on (where on Holy Terra did Yarrick requisition those Storm Troopers from?).

- Yarrick and most of the forces retreat to Hive Volcanus, but they lose Colonel Kurzen and his 36th Krieg Infantry Regiment, and Canoness Mercia, who is dragged around by Wazdakka before she finally dies.

- Graves, despite being the idiot who ordered the reckless sortie of the Purgation Corps and was the whole reason Armageddon was caught with its pants down and the defenders stretched thin when Ghazghkull and his Waaagh! showed up, unsurprisingly blames the pragmatic and sensible Locke and executes him for the crime of possessing common sense. She then delegates command to Marshal Gorman of the Death Korps of Krieg...wait, he's not related to Lieutenant Gorman from Aliens, is he? The United States Colonial Marines.

- Yarrick heads to the astropathic sanctum, only to find the astropathic choir all murdered by Ork commandoes, who left a taunting message. NO ESCAPE. Oh, well...

- The forces of Hive Volcanus split into two - Yarrick leads an armored brigade toward Hive Death Mire to use the astropathic relay station. Graves, Marshal Gorman, his Death Korps of Krieg, Leman Russ battle tanks crewed by grizzled veterans, two lances of Knights from House Terryn, armored transports, Hive Militia, Cadians, Kriegsmen, Semtexians and Mordians launch a diversionary attack to distract the Orks.

- Graves and Gorman succeed in distracting Wazdakka, but they lose 7/8 of their forces. Ouch.

- Yarrick leaves via the Sainted Gate. His entourage is comprised of Hippogriff AFVs, Centaur RSVs packed with Cadian Shock Troops, Hellhounds, Banewolves, squadrons of Leman Russ tanks, mechanized infantry aboard Chimeras and Tauroxes, Rogal Dorns, Wyverns, and Adeptus Mechanicus fuel and ammunition carriers. And Knights of Houses Terryn and Hawkshroud. Plus Valkyries and Vultures, Yarrick's signature black Baneblade, Fortress of Arrogance, and two Warhound Titans of Legio Metalica - Lupex Destructor and Hound of Hades.

- They annihilate the Deathskull Speedboss Grizsnag and his Boyz as they leave. Epic.

- They are attacked along the way, are threatened by a toxic ash storm, and come across a sizeable Ork warband in a fortress with three Stompas and lots of tanks, walkers and vehicles. Yarrick and friends decide to smash through the fortress, losing Lupex Destructor and a trio of Knights but taking down two Stompas in return. Why the f the Knights of House Terryn happen to be standing so damned near the Stompas when they are being bombarded by the Warhound Titans, Benablade, Leman Russ tanks and Rogal Dorn tanks, I have no idea.

- As the ash storm sweeps over them, they smash through the fortress and continue along the highway, ignoring the third Stompa.

- Unfortunately, Wazdakka has raced ahead and is waiting for them with an ambush. He takes down the remaining Warhound, Hound of Hades, but stupidly lets Yarrick and the Fortress of Arrogance get away. The rest of the Imperial Guard tanks manage to get into a tunnel, far from Wazdakka.

- Ghazghkull, however, has other plans. The moment the Fortress of Arrogance emerges from the tunnel, he destroys it from orbit with a kustom soopablasta strike from Kill Wrecka. Kroyle - who is waiting at Hive Death Mire with a few of the surviving Purgation Corps - panics, thinking Yarrick is dead, but surprise, surprise! The Lord Commissar alights from a Chimera that manages to reach Hive Death Mire. The Old Man, the legend, is smart enough to use his precious Baneblade as a decoy.

- Yarrick and his honor guard fight their way up the Ork-infested Hive Death Mire, reaches the command spire, and he uses the Macguffin...I mean Pharus Horrifica, or rather the astrophatic choir use it, and their noble sacrifice sends a signal to the void.

- Yarrick then takes command of the beleaguered Armageddon defenses, but is unable to prevent the planet from falling.

- Hive Infernus is besieged. Hive Hades and Hive Thoraddis are destroyed. Hive Tempestora is in Ork hands. Hive Death Mire, Hive Acheron and Hive Volcanus hold firm, but Acheron falls soon, with Ghazghkull personally showing up in an asteroid, no less.

- Then the hololith lights up with the contrails of orbital landers and traces of descending drop pods.

- "Imperator," an Astartes (presumably Blood Angels) says over the vox, signalling the start of 11th edition.

Yarrick Returns

Yarrick has returned! There's no way I wouldn't get my own miniature of Yarrick, and so here he is, assembled and ready to lead the Armageddon Steel Legion! In all his glory! Makes you want to fight for him, eh? He's so inspirational. Especially to the Armageddon Steel Legionnaires!

Except that the Armageddon Steel Legion hasn't been released in plastic, and that will be 2 years away. I'm patient, I can wait.

I also bought the book, The Return of Yarrick, and I'll be covering the lore inside it in a separate article. I look forward to reading it and finding out what happened on Armageddon! I don't want to close my eyes. I don't want to fall asleep, because I'll miss the Orks, and I don't want to miss a shot.

Krieg heavy weapons squad

I assembled my Krieg heavy weapons squad! They are all equipped with heavy flamers. That means my Krieg army is pretty much done. I'm not getting the artillery carriage because artillery isn't really my thing - armored warfare is - but I think I have all I need for Krieg.

Basically, I have:

Krieg Command squad

20-men Krieg infantry squad

Krieg Engineers

Death Riders

Krieg Heavy Weapons squad

Plus armor to back them all up! Squadrons of Leman Russ tanks! Yay!

I also made a few spares with the remaining sprues. Twin heavy stubbers and lascannons! The twin heavy stubbers will be used to kitbash the new Centaur Rapid Strike Vehicles into Explorator Rigs. I'll scrounge spare heavy flamers from my other kits for the hull mounted heavy flamer, but yeah, the twin heavy stubbers as turret mounted weapons are pretty much done!

I also assembled the lascannons. I thought they might come on in useful. I don't know what to use them for. I originally thought I might kitbash a Militia Venator, but they need twin lascannons. So I'm missing a lacannon. Huh, okay then. I guess I'll figure it out eventually. Oh, well!

Drop the Steel Hammer!

Warhammer Community has posted about the Astra Militarum armored detachments in the upcoming Return of Yarrick! I'll be preordering this, for sure! Not for the rules and armored detachment, but because Yarrick is a legend, and my guys are fighting on Armageddon against the Orks. Hopefully, the Ryuusei Katanas' volkite weaponry will be lethal against the Orks.

We have the Armored Infantry detachment, which is a callback to Armageddon Steel Legion, though I'm pretty sure they've already been represented by the Mechanized Assault detachment. Oh, well. Anyway, Squadron Command allows your infantry command squads and infantry officers (e.g. Cadian Castellan or Commissar) to issue orders to squadron units. I.e. your tanks. Not only that, you have a new, additional order, On My Signal, for non-artillery vehicles and vehicles smaller than a Leman Russ tank, which allows them to run away whenever an enemy unit moves within 9" of them. Cool?

But I'm more interested in the STEEL HAMMER!

I don't know how competitive it is, but it allows your tanks to shoot in close combat without suffering the -1 penalty, and you can shoot blast weapons at pointblank range. Including my plasma executioner cannon and Stormblade plasma cannon. Woohoo!

Also, you can select a Baneblade or super-heavy tank variant to be a Character, meaning they get enhancements and can be your Warlord! I doubt they get the Officer keyword and can give orders, though, unless there's an enhancement for that. But I would love to pop Engine of Wrath and crush my enemies under my Stormblade's titanic treads.

I still remember that game in Minneapolis, years ago, when my Shadowsword charged an enemy unit and crushed them. Fun times. Now I can do it again! If I ever find an opponent...

Anyway, this will be fun! I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the Return of Yarrick! And when I do, I'll do a lore spoiler summary, as usual!

Establishing a Knight Household

As I said in a previous post, I saw this article about establishing my own Knight Household in White Dwarf Issue 523 and I wanted to do my own set of answers! So let's begin!

Where do your Knights hail from?

The Loyalist Knight World of Ryuusei in the Segmentum Solar, a planet covered mostly in dense forests and oceans teeming with colossal creatures known to the inhabitants as Ayakashi. House Yato has constructed fortress-cities across the landmasses, linked with titanic transitways and dotted with agriplexes and massive manufactorums that produce Knight suits, ancient weaponry dating to the Dark Age of Technology, and armored vehicles for House Yato's Household Militia. Each fortress-city has its own spaceport, mass conveyors landing from orbit or launching into the heavens to ferry Knights, their Noble pilots, and regiments of Household Militia to ongoing crusades, or to ship immense quantities of war materiel, which includes both weapons and armored vehicles.

Their alliance with the neighboring Forge World of Draconis IV allows House Yato to be constantly equipped, supplied, repaired and maintained, and consequently, they are one of the largest Knight Houses in the Imperium, having fought during the Horus Heresy as entire Knight formations sizeable enough to threaten even Titan Legions. This also grants them access to rare Knight chassis such as the Cerastus class, and even the rare Cerastus Knight Atrapos. Only the Acastus Knights Porphyrion are tightly locked within the vaults of their fortress-cities, deemed to precious to lose to the Archenemy. And quite frankly, the Dominus Knights Castellan do their job better anyway. Formerly known as Koya, Shogun Yato Yoshinobu had given the world to the Mechanicum as part of a shrewd deal to gain their support and services, and this bond has remained intact even through the dark days of the Horus Heresy and persist 10,000 years latter, having mutually benefited both parties.

The Nobles of House Yato are known as Bushi, the equivalent of Scions of other Knight Houses. The land continents of Ryuusei are split into feudal domains known as provinces, each ruled over by a Daimyo - the equivalent of Barons - who guard their territories zealously. War would often break out if a Daimyo were to trespass into a rival's province. Despite each Daimyo being the lord of their own fiefdoms, they all answer to a single Shogun - House Yato's equivalent of High King. The Shogun derives his authority from the God-Emperor of Mankind, who the residents of Ryuusei worship as the son of the Sun-Goddess ever since their world was folded into the Imperium during the Great Crusade.

The people of Ryuusei entrust their safety to the Bushi, who protect them from the Ayakashi that infested their world. From the titanic serpentine Orochi and their kings, the Yamata no Orochi, to the leviathan Bake-Kujira that dwelled beneath the ocean depths to the gargantuan, amphibious Ryuu, these fearsome Ayakashi are hunted by the valorous Bushi and their indomitable Knight suits.

Apart from Ryuusei, House Yato reigns over its own stellar realm in the Draconis Sector. Spanning several systems, their stellar territory includes the famous "bread basket trio," the three agri-worlds known for their bountiful macro agri-complexes - Inari, Beisei and Nouzen. Within the Draconis system, the mountain world of Yamahodo has been transformed into a staging facility for void vessel assets, including an academy for training naval officers, which provides House Yato its own personal fleet to transport them across the galaxy, enabling them to reach farflung warzones and aid the Imperium in its battles if necessary, or expand its frontiers. The ocean world of Namikai is famed for its seafood, and also vast promethium reserves in its seabed. The jungle world of Aomori several systems away is also a protectorate of House Yato, who sometimes uses its verdant forests as training grounds for both Knight aspirants and Household Militia.

How do they fight?

Given the history where House Yato emerged supreme over rival Houses such as House Takeda, House Uesugi and House Kiyomori, subsuming them to become the preeminent Great House in Ryuusei, the Bushi of House Yato are pragmatic and strategic. House Yato was known for striking in the dead of night, the black of their Knight suits allowing them to blend into the darkness almost unseen. This is what leads to them being known as the Night Blades. They have used that cunning to their advantage, attaining many victories through camouflage and attacking at the most unexpected timing.

Due to their version of Code Chivalric, which they call Bushido, they favor close-ranged blade and polearm weapons - such as the reaper chainsword or the Tempest Warblade, and the Cerastus shock lance or thundershock spear. However, they will not eschew ranged weapons because they also value the strategic advantage of annihilating a foe from a distance. House Yato nobles will primarily choose energy weapons over those requiring solid munitions for logistical reasons. Often, when on a hunt for Ayakashi in the dense forests, it is difficult for them to rearm and resupply, and as such, energy weapons that draw power from the Knight suits' plasma reactor instead of requiring rearmament of solid ammunition prove to be more practical and better suited to their fighting style.

A lance primarily consists of Questoris Knights Errant, whose close-ranged thermal cannons complement their brutal melee weapons, and their vassal Armigers Warglaive and Armigers Moirax equipped with exotic armaments, along with rapid-moving Bellatus Knights Destrier, supported by the ranged firepower of domineering Dominus Knights Castellan and Questoris Knights Defender. Due to their preference for close combat, House Yato prizes Cerastus chassis and is among the few Knight Houses to consistently field Cerastus Knights Lancer and Cerastus Knights Castigator. As mentioned above, the Knights Errant and Armigers Warglaive would normally be equipped with meltaguns rather than heavy stubbers, as these derive power from the suits' plasma reactor rather than requiring solid ammunition. That is also why they favor Armigers Moirax over Armigers Helverin, for lightning locks and volkite veuglaires draw power from plasma reactors instead of requiring solid shot ammunition. However, in cases such as the Knight Castigator or the Questoris Knights Crusader being fielded, they will not hesitate to use the advantage derived from possessing many manufactorums throughout Ryuusei to resupply.

The Knights of House Yato rarely fight alone, usually supported by armored cohorts of their Household Militia, known as the Ryuusei Katanas. So effective are the Ryuusei Katanas that they often go on to serve as Astra Militarum regiments in their own right, foraying into the stars to defend embattled worlds of the Imperium, or participating in crusades such as the Indomitus Crusade. Though technically not obligated to offer a Tithe, the Ryuusei Katanas are authorized by the Shogun or - if he is absent due to long distance and beyond astropathic range - the highest-ranked Daimyo present to deploy to new warzones or answer the call for reinforcements. An example is when several Ryuusei Katana regiments  decide to answer House Hawkshroud's call for assistance against an Ork Waaagh!, and due to Imperium Nihilus being cut off from Segmentum Solar (and Imperium Sanctus as a whole), the Daimyo - Lord Uesugi - permits them to head to Krastellan while his lance continues to hunt Tyranid Bio-Titans across the Red Scar. Another is when a dozen Ryuusei Katana regiments divert toward Armageddon to answer the legendary Commissar Yarrick's call to head off Wazdakka Gutsmek's incoming SpeedWaaagh! while their Knightly masters remain embroiled in the Pariah Nexus.

As a consequence of their technologically advanced manufactorums, the elite of the Ryuusei Katanas - known as Ryuusei Grenadiers - are equipped with volkite weaponry from their vaunted Armory of Old Night. They field Solar Auxilia-grade Leman Russ tanks - including Leman Russ Incinerator variants, which are thought to be lost to the modern Imperium - and Valdor tank destroyers, and even super-heavy tanks such as Stormblades and Shadowswords, a tradition that continues from as far back as the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. Entire regiments of Ryuusei Katanas, primarily composed of armored squadrons and mechanized Grenadiers, mobilize alongside the Nobles of House Yato when called to war. Their volkite weaponry will provide tremendous advantage as they employ them against the marauding Orks who are poised to invade both Armageddon and Krastellan.

Do they have any notable characters?

The protagonist I center on is Sir Tanaka, who first began his career as a Bondsman, piloting an Armiger Warglaive, before he rises through the ranks and is rewarded with a Dominus Knight Castellan, Kazan. His buddy is Suzuki, who pilots the Armiger Warglaive, Hebi. They serve under the Daimyo, Lord Takeda, who pilots the Cerastus Knight Lancer, Naginata.

Other comrades who Tanaka has fought alongside include:

Sato - the pilot of the Armiger Warglaive, Kaen

Watanabe - the pilot of the Armiger Warglaive, Tsurugi

Iwatani - the pilot of the Armiger Warglaive, Kame

Chiba - the pilot of an Armiger Moirax

Sendo - the pilot of an Armiger Moirax

Sir Amano - the pilot of the Cerastus Knight Castigator, Ama no Habakiri

Sir Kanda - the pilot of the Questoris Knight Errant, Engetsu

Sir Minamoto - the pilot of the Questoris Knight Preceptor, Yoichi (Sir Oogami was killed in action, and Ookami was salvaged and refitted, and the name was changed to Yoichi)

Sir Kaji - the pilot of the Cerastus Knight Atrapos, Yami

Sir Hayashi - the pilot of the Bellatus Knight Destrier, Kaminari

Sir Mamoru - the pilot of the Questoris Knight Defender (coming soon, I haven't gotten the parts to assemble the plasma executor and conversion beam obliterator yet)

Whoa, I actually have a lot of Knights. That's 14 characters in my collection, all with their own names. I can't believe it. And I haven't even counted my Mechanicus Knights from House Kanda yet. Though that can count as House Taranis...eventually. That's enough to make a small Household in itself.

Create their livery.

Night black armor panels framed with gold. Yato means Night Blades, and that's their cognomen, something they have retained since the Horus Heresy.

Create their heraldry.

A single yellow moon. The heraldry of moon suits a Knight House who's known as the Night Blades perfectly. The origins of the simple heraldry stem from House Yato and its subsumed Houses having endured the horrors of Old Night and emerged triumphant. When Yato Yasutaka, the first Shogun, united all of the warring Knight Houses under a single banner, he imposed his House's heraldry upon the whole of Ryuusei. As a result of their pragmatism, and often because House Yato prefers to camouflage themselves in darkness, striking at the most unexpected moments, they keep their heraldry simple and unostentatious. It was too troublesome for the artisans to keep redrawing and repainting the heraldry after every battle, and the pragmatic Shogun wanted them to focus on repairs, not decoration. So he dictated that the heraldry be a simple full moon against the endless black of a night sky.

Yato Yasutaka is also known as the Great Moon, and those of his lineage who succeed him inherit the title of Shogun. When Yato Yoshinobu, the Shogun during the Great Crusade, complied with Imperial authority, the Great Moon was said to be a reflection of the God-Emperor, who descended from the Sun Goddess, a shadow of the Emperor's divinity. And thus, those of his bloodline continue to be revered so.

Honestly, it started as a joke, but I'm keeping the smiley face. You're not supposed to take Warhammer 40,000 seriously, and in the grim darkness of the far future, you need a sense of humor. I'm amazed it evolved from a smiling face into a full moon. I wouldn't be surprised if that's how most of Warhammer 40,000 lore began - first, as a joke, then evolved into something that makes perfect sense (at least in the context). Also, it was also somewhat inspired by the Japanese flag, which has a single round red sun against a white background. Also, the Great Moon is a reference to Raising Villains the Right Way, also known as I became the patron of villains. It's a manhwa series I recommend!

March to War! Imperial Knights lore in White Dwarf

I didn't get Reign of Iron (I'm saving up for Return of Yarrick and the new Imperial Guard vehicles), but when I saw the Knight on the cover of White Dwarf Issue 523, I just had to get it.

So what new Imperial Knights lore is in April 2026's issue? Let's dig in and find out!

We begin with what we already know: the Code Chivalric, the set of doctrines that all Knight households and Freeblades cleave to, and how Questor Imperialis households are those who vowed fealty directly to the Emperor of Mankind of Holy Terra. I think what's new and not in the codex is additional information regarding the heraldry, such as the uniformity of the design of household crests - usually, they have a shield in the center of their crest, which is usually halved. On the left, you have the household emblem, and the right half will bear the Imperial aquila.

The rank insignia: the stripes across a Knight's carapace denotes his rank, and you can have different colored stripes or even have stripes that employ pigments only visible to the specialized suites of vid-feeds, multispectral fliters and auspexes integrated into Knight suits, because they consider non-Nobles unworthy of viewing such heraldic conventions.

This is already in the codex, but I was delighted to see some of the Household's lore summarized here. We have House Terryn, and they follow the evolution of their crest, from the horse's head stemming from visions of white stallions by the house's founder, Maximilian Terryn. Cool!

Same thing with Questor Mechanicus households, whose design features a cog instead of a shield. Interesting. We also have a nice repeat of Ulantor and the Red Doom, who is from the codex. Actually, they just copied the whole entry of Ulantor and the Red Doom over from the codex. Huh. Well, whatever.

Now this is what's new. Unlike House Terryn, where the codex actually mentions Maximilian Terryn, Brutus Terryn and Seuitonius Thucidies Terryn, we don't have any mentioned characters for House Taranis in the codex, aside from Ulantor and Archimaxes (who pilots the Knight Castellan, Devastation Unbridled). So this is new! And it's for House Taranis, one of my favorites! I...actually have a small lance of House Taranis Knights (which I just deploy as House Kanda), but yeah, if I were to ever take a Knight House from the codex instead of my homebrewed one, it would be House Taranis.

Anyway, we have Cheops Taranis - the founder of Hosue Taranis - uniting the two largest Knight spearhead formations on Mars by besting his rivals. Chefren Taranis then led a charge against an invading Ork horde in the early 32nd Millennium, and then Ahkenaten Taranis ruled the House in M35, forging a new alliance with the Fabricator General that saw House Taranis gain autonomy rights within the armies of Mars. Cool!

We also have a mention of Freeblades, but it's basically draw whatever heraldry you want. Ha ha.

We also have a much fuller account of the featured Questoris Knight Defender on the box art of the kit. So the Knight Defender, if you've noticed, is named Aereus. Here's the background for her! She is piloted by Baroness Prime Klydia Irosta. She hailed from House Irostus Xo, which was a Questor Mechanicus Household - and you'll notice my use of past tense here because the House was destroyed.

Basically, House Irostus Xo was from the world of Wrath's Fall, and they are loyal to Mars. They have ancient technologies - weapon systems, cogitator arrays, neuroempathic circuitry and other devices guarded in their citadel since before the horrors of Old NIght.

Klydia has access to the house's relic artifacts, but unfortunately, after the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum, Wrath's Fall was overwhelmed by an armada of heretics and mutants. House Irostus Xo couldn't get reinforcements, so the Tech-Magi petitioned the Princeps to safeguard the Knight's most valuable artifacts. After getting the Princeps's permission, the Tech-priests for some reason embedded all the house's technological relics into Kyldia's Knight, Opus Gatekeeper. Yeah, they integrated all the ancient artifacts into Opus Gatekeeper's power relays, plasma core and manifold systems, turning the whispers of her Throne Mechanicum into roars and screams. Ugh.

Before House Irostus Xo's citadel fell, Klydia, Opus Gatekeeper, a company of serf soldiery, her cabals of Sacristans and the most senior Tech-priests escaped aboard a Mechanicus orbital conveyor to Mars. Upon reaching Mars, the Tech-priests found themselves unable to retrieve the Irostus Xo artifacts because strange binharic pathways had threaded through her Throne Mechanicum. New voices emerged, and Klydia renamed her Knight Aereus, and the technohistoritors of Olympus Mon recognized the title as an ancient name of the Machine God in its manifestation as the Divine Disassembler.

Now, Klydia fights as a Freeblade in service to Mars and the Adeptus Mechanicus. Aereus is empowered by the technological relics of House Irostus Xo, and Klydia often accompanies lances of Nobles from other Households to protect holy technologies of their Knights, or leads entire Freeblade companies, often those aligned with the Mechanicus. Apparently, she's going insane because of her obsession with safeguarding technological relics, but hey, whatever.

So that's the background behind Aereus and House Irostus Xo, and her pilot, Kyldia Irosta!

We also have a page on how to establish a Knightly Household, and I'll write a separate article on it, probably using it for my own House Yato. I know I've written a lot of posts covering my own homebrewed Knight House, but it'll be fun to run it through this framework and see what kind of output is produced! Will also make an easy post for my own reference so that I can more conveniently find where I named my characters, etc. I look forward to writing it!

Oh, there's also a bunch of both homebrewed Knights and Knights from exiting canon sources. I think House Gottenheim is a homebrewed Household by Ben, but it has been destroyed. Only Morgana Zosma survives, and she pilots the Questoris Knight Defender, Pavise Maxima, and is a Freeblade.

But what catches my attention is House Zavora! If you're a huge Horus Heresy fan like me, you'll know of House Zavora - and I've actually mentioned them in my past articles, though they're passing sentences without much substance. What happened to House Zavora after the Horus Heresy? Turns out they survived! Woohoo! So House Zavora almost got destroyed during the Horus Heresy, but allied to Loyalist Mechanicum forces, they persevered and survived! Now they have few Knight suits remaining, and one of them is a Knight Errant named Forger! No, he has nothing to do with Loid Forger or the Forger family from Spy X Family.

If you are a fan of Knights, I encourage you to pick up this month's White Dwarf! It's awesome and filled with new lore that's not in the codex! It's also a fun reference for creating your own Knight Household! Which I've already done, but I still find value in this!