Imperial Knight Heraldry

Imperial Knight Heraldry is the practice of devising, granting, displaying, describing, and recording coats of arms and heraldic badges utilised by the Noble Houses of Imperial Knights of the Questoris Familia. Every Imperial Knight is a precious and valued war machine, revered by its noble pilot and painstakingly maintained by the house Sacristans responsible for its upkeep. Each is painted in the glorious heraldry of its house, and decorated with imagery and iconography that tell of its homeworld, oaths and battle honours. The Knight Houses use an elaborate system of heraldry signifying their allegiance and the house to which they belong. Knights will use some variation of their house's heraldry as their livery, incorporating its themes and motifs, but no two liveries can be identical. All Knights bear striking, colourful liveries and often adorn their war machines with heraldic pennants. It is customary for the Knights to compete not only in combat feats, but also in the appearance of their war mounts. Each symbol on an Imperial Knight has a powerful resonance for its wearer and a deep inner meaning.

Most Knights carry a variety of pennants and banners proudly proclaiming their heritage and battle honours. These flags are flown from carapaces and weapons but, most commonly, hang from the pinions that drive the war machine's powerful legs. Although the houses remained independent and isolated from the rest of Mankind for millennia after the settlement of their homeworlds, their banners became more standardised when the nobles bent their knee to the Emperor of Mankind or the Adeptus Mechanicus in His stead. To this end, the banners of both Imperium-aligned and Mechanicus-aligned Knights are broadly similar. The general format of a house banner has the house crest in its full form in the upper half of the pennant. All Knights from a single house will carry this identical sigil. The lower portion of the banner is devoted to kill, honour and campaign markings. These will differ from individual to individual, depending on where they have served and what honours they have gained. The exact layout and composition of these honours also varies from house to house. Some Knight Houses prefer a relatively simple arrangement of these markings with coloured fields behind the icons, while other may favour a more complex array of icons and markings.

The kill campaign and honour badges are a mix of local iconography (perhaps unique to a house) and sigils used by the armies of the Imperium. For example, if a Knight serves in an Imperial campaign, his banners would display the official badge for that action, and this sigil would also be worn by any Space Marines or Imperial Guardsmen involved. The banners belonging to Freeblade Knights exemplify their individualism. They often echo the livery the pilots choose to apply over the top of their old house colours. Mottoes are not uncommon, or alternative versions of the icons of these outcasts choose to identify themselves by. Such designs often reflect the fatalistic approach of the pilots -- with skulls and other memento mori represented in great number. The pride of the nobles who pilot the great Knight units is such that they will take any opportunity to proclaim their loyalties and achievements. To this end they often decorate the rear side of their banners. Though less visible, these spaces are used for catechisms, rolls of honour and lists of revered ancestors.

Imperial-Aligned Heraldry
A Knight's rank is discerned by the stripes across its carapace armour. These stripes differ in colour for each house, but their colour is always sympathetic to the house's normal livery. The honoured members of a house's Exalted Court each bear a specific design on their tilting plate, on top of which their house's icon is emblazoned. Whatever their house, a Knight's tabard will always feature certain details. The house's crest is borne in full, alongside the Knight's personal emblem and a number of his proudest battle honours.

House Heraldry
The Knight Houses trace their origins to a period thousands of standard years before the birth of the Imperium of Man, so their banners present a visual language that appears to have evolved through time. Each began as a simple device, such as the white horse of House Terryn. Over the millennia, new alliances and significant events caused it to evolve into something grander, reflecting the complex relationship between the Knight House and the Imperium itself. The white horse is symbolically linked to a vision that the house founder had way back in its distant past. Over the millennia, more heraldry, such as the helm above the crest and the swords behind were added (symbolic of an ancient battle), as was the house name. Later, when Seuitonius Terryn swore allegiance to the Imperium, the crest was marshalled, with the half-Aquila falling on the right side, and resplendent eagle wings as supporters. This half-and-half shows the observer the relationship between the knightly house and the Imperium, and the dichotomy of loyalty to their house and the wider Imperium.

Other forms of Knight House heraldry, such as the house banner of House Griffith, possess subtle nods to events in their long, glorious history in the crest and secondary devices they employ. These are often very grand, with a mythological aspect to whatever symbols are chosen. House Griffith has fought wars against dragons during its ancient history, and as such wear dragons as their crest. This desperate struggle served to harden the nobles into skilled and fierce warriors. Millennia later, House Griffith is sworn to the Imperium, and has earned a reputation for producing some of the most formidable warriors ever to sit upon the Throne Mechanicum. The heraldry of House Griffith is halved with a dragon motif, connecting to their ancient history, and a red-winged Aquila, professing loyalty to Terra. What truth lies behind the dragon symbol is now the subject of legend as much as historical fact, but to the warriors of House Griffith, it is very important.

Essentially the same is true of the Adeptus Mechanicus-aligned houses. Their imagery tends more towards the industrial, with harder edges to their designs, where tools replace the swords and axes displayed by other houses. In the place of Imperial Aquilas, these Imperial Knights wear the half-cog of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The same dual-split remains here, with loyalty divided between the house and the Machine Cult. A perfect example is the crest of House Raven, foremost among the knightly houses aligned to the Adeptus Mechanicus. Their ancient alliance was brought about when a lord of House Raven witnessed the Magi of Forge World Metalica rouse to life Knight suits that had lain inoperable for centuries. The seat of House Raven's power is their indomitable fortress known as the Keep Inviolate, a foreboding structure on the Knight World of Kolossi. The full house crest of Raven bears homage to their heritage with the dual image of the Keep Inviolate and the Opus Machina.

Finally, each Imperial Knight has the right to wear his own personal heraldry. Those of Imperial-aligned houses wear this on their front-right shoulder plate of their Knight. The form it takes is a matter of personal choice, although different houses have their own traditions. Adeptus Mechanicus-aligned houses do not typically bother with this at all. The nobles from houses such as Krast and Raven are willingly subsumed, and do not fear for their independence.

Heraldric Devices
Each suit of Knight armour worn by nobles of an Imperial-aligned Knight House will always display three things: the major plates display house symbols, most typically the crest and lesser icons. The minor plates show Imperial heraldry. Finally, the Knight's front right shoulder guard is reserved for the personal heraldry of the noble pilot -- this is a heraldic design which is unique to that specific warrior and none other. Knight Houses dedicated to the service of the Machine God are less predisposed to tolerate personal heraldry; this does not, however, preclude individual differences. Also of note is the common practice of painting the Knight's faceplate in a black and white half tone.
 * The Gauntlet - The symbol of an armoured gauntlet crushing a serpent symbolises House Krast's hatred of Chaos. The warriors of House Krast are violent opponents of the Forces of Chaos. Historically they were the first knightly house to join their forces to the Great Crusade, and they took great honour in their part of the Emperor's galactic conquest. But when the Horus Heresy reared its head, they suffered terribly. Chrysis, the home planet of House Krast, was utterly ravaged by the Traitors, and left as little more than a husk, reduced to a poisonous wasteland by the virus weapons unleashed upon it. Even 10,000 standard years later, the nobles now live in Void-Shielded enclaves, and look out at their ruined world and feel a burning hate. Their icon is now the embodiment of their quest for vengeance, and they proudly tally the many Chaos worshippers they have defeated. Prosecuting this endless battle against the forces of the Dark Gods has become their driving motivation. Such is their venom that there is a secret place on their homeworld, known as the Hammer of Traitors. Here they carve the names of Chaos worshippers they have destroyed -- and, rumour has it, bring prisoners to die terrible, gasping deaths in the poisonous air.
 * Knightly Honours - Glorious kills are celebrated by Imperial Knights with icons to be worn on their personal banner or suit of Knight armour. These take many forms, from targetting symbols or small skulls to rings around weapon barrels. House Krast's greatest hate is for the Traitor Titan Legion of the Legio Mortis, who they hold accountable for the horrors unleashed on Chrysis. The broken death head symbol utilised by the Knights of House Krast is a modified badge of the Legio Mortis, with a crack which denotes a Titan kill of their most hated enemies.

Marks of Fealty
Every Imperial Knight wears an icon upon its carapace that proclaims the loyalty of its house to all that behold it:
 * Imperial Eagle - The Imperial Eagle, or Aquila, is the icon worn by Imperium-aligned houses. It is worth noting that, while his icon proclaims a close military alliance, it does not imply any form of subjugation. Indeed, Knight Houses see themselves as equals (if not betters) of the Imperium, alongside whom they fight for mutual benefit and as a sign of friendship.
 * Machina Opus - The icon of the Adeptus Mechanicus, also known as the Cog Mechanicum, is worn by Imperial Knights in houses which are aligned with the Priesthood of Mars. Houses that wear this mark not only fight alongside the Adeptus Mechanicus, and will answer a call for aid without hesitation, but can also rely on the industrial might of the Forge Worlds to supply and repair their war machines.
 * Laurels Fidelis - Knights who take the mantle of Freeblades cast aside the heraldry of their former houses. Tradition dictates that these nobles adopt the Laurels Fidelis, a laurel-wreathed skull which indicates their continued loyalty towards the Imperium of Man, despite leaving their houses behind. An Imperial Knight wearing this symbol will fight for Mankind, even until death.

Freeblade Heraldry
Despite the fact that there have been many cases of Freeblade Knights working in concert –- even as part of a household detachment –- over the Imperium's long history, the vast majority of them choose to fight alone. The reasons behind this solitary existence are many and varied, but it is certain that each Freeblade would have a long story to tell if ever he chose to reveal his past, though it is unlikely that the truth would be a pleasant one. It is their mysterious history that leads many Freeblades to forsake their origins and take on a whole new identity. Many of these Knights choose to hide behind a cryptic name, though whether or not it is possible to discern a glint of a Freeblade's past from his choice of title is an enigma in itself. It is likely that after many long years of relentless warfare, some Knights may even have forgotten why they took their first step along the path of the Freeblade. Unlike household Knights, Freeblades commonly choose a single colour as their suit's livery, adopting simple designs or patterns if any at all. Many choose to only show significant iconography on their tabard, though even these are symbolically selective in decoration. A Freeblade Knight's choice of livery and what passes for heraldry is unique, and no two Freeblades will ever look the same.