Brainstorming an Imperial Knight House

[Seneschal]

I have recently delved deep into the Mechanicus lore and I was fascinated by the so called "Thrall Houses" of the Mechanicus described in the book HH: Conquest. 

 

The idea behind a "Thrall House" is that its Nobles are somehow indebted or forcefully integrated into the standing army of the local Forge World. For them the "Sydonian Pact" is interpreted in a very harsh way and most of such Houses are little more than willing slaves of the Mechanicus.

 

It is also implied that plenty of such "Thrall Houses" actually fought for the Warmaster during the age of the Heresy and are now Traitors. 

 

Enter my House.

 

I am fascinated by the idea of the noble and loyal Imperial Knights subjugated to the control of a rogue or nigh-heretic Forge World. I like how even many loyal Forge Worlds hold the Knight suits as hostages so that the Nobles obey the command of the Fabricator-Lords and how such Houses are callously used and abused by the Mechanicus.

 

The general line that I want to follow is of a Mechanicus aligned Imperial Knight House which due to some sinister event (and here I need ideas, frater) was subjected to the iron rule of the neighbor Forge World. 

 

For a century or even a milennia such a pact forced the hand of the House many a time unit they snapped. To the onlooker it would appear that they rebelled to their rightful lords, reneged their oaths of loyalty and grievous of all, they broke their word as Nobles, as exemplars of virtue.

 

This schism led to a civil war between House and Forge World, a civil war which has seen the House home planet ravaged and despoiled by the Red Priesthood, its youth either bound by arcane sciences to their Throne Mechanicum or torn in limb and soul only to be reforged as Skitarii Alphas as a punishment.

 

This was the fate of the house, yet the majority of its elders, or veteran Nobles chose rather to flee and aim for a long coming vengeance than die in futility on the bloody battleground of their home world. 

 

Before this Nobles escaped they have sallied forth one last time as Knights of the Mechanicum, raiding the stores of their planet for weapons and slaves, committing themselves to secure a future for their House if not in blood, in iron, by stealing away Sacristans, Tech-Priests and secreting away the Skitarii Maniples loyal only to their bloodline and of their bloodline.

 

The idea is that the House I have in mind is officially a traitor one, despite their heroic rebellion against the iron yoke of the Mechanicus. They are now hunted down, forced to raid in order to survive, but secretly plotting the demise of their former overlords and a vengeance on an Imperium that misunderstood them.

 

The Nobles do remember this events, even as the first generation of scions is already walking, and they do remember well the oppression they had to endure. The character, the mien, of the Nobles is one of grim demeanor, they know that they have fallen from grace, and they embrace this with a bitterness only a noble can bear.

 

They are first and foremost on their quest for vengeance, striking at the Mechanicus when they can, raiding the resources of their former overlords for them, actively preying on stranded Imperial Knights detachments to replenish their ranks, though mostly on the Mechanicus aligned houses. This self-destructive and loathing path has seen them embrace strange allies for they can no longer rely on the Imperium to have any sympathy for them and this only serves to further condemn them in the eyes of the people they sought to defend for generations.

 

In the end this is to be a Renegade Questoris Familia which every day sins more and it is forced to compromise more and more of their honor and oaths just to survive in a hostile galaxy. Strange rites are being observed, strange allies have been seen in the halls of their mother ship and strange phenomena accompanies them when they fight.

 

It is a House driven by vengeance and for which vengeance is no longer the end but the mean to perpetuate more and more horrors on the very people they sought to protect for so long, those very people who "in their minds" have betrayed their House and kin.

 

Yet this is not the end of the story. The scions they have left when they ran away from the bitter guns of the Mechanicus, are alive and well. Their very sons and daughters they have left home are now proper Nobles themselves and harshly indoctrinated by their Mechanicus overseers in a hatred for the heresy of their forefathers.

 

When this two halves of the House clash, rare is the battle so bitter, so hard fought, so vicious. Both sides have their right and doctrine, both sides hate the other on a gut level and both sides of the house display the same prowess, ruthlessness and loyalty to their own cause which has seen their House so great in ancient times.

 

In the end, my intention is to have a plausible background should I wish to play on both sides of the conflict (often against the ever present Space Marines) but still be fluffy by doing it so.

 

I need ideas to flesh this concept though. Names elude me, the timeline too, as well as things as the ecology of their planet, the representation of the "rogue" part of the House, the fleets and the Skitarii covenants aligned to both sides and the placement of this internecine galaxy wide conflict based solely on vengeance for vengeance sake.

 

I don't want my Knight to be tragic figures. They are bastards true and all and they willingly turn a blind eye on their campaigns or quests when they have the chance to vindicate their ancestors. The loyalist side tries to use the Mechanicus to perpetuate the vengeance (only to be used in turn by the Priesthood of Mars), while the renegade part uses whatever allies it can gather, xenos, pirates, rogue traders and even chaos cults and marines, just to enact a vengeance of their own.

 

In the end both sides of the House are lost and have betrayed their honor as Knights of the Imperium time and time again.  

[Kelborn]

Interesting concept.

Haven't thought of a split House by myself. Reminds me a little bit of House Aerthegn, a House broken into several, independent warbands. Or so it seemed until the Heresy. ^^

 

hm... as it is late, I actually don't have any ideas right now. I'll follow this one and when I got something, I'll let you know.

 

Excited to see where this is going. :)

[Seneschal]

Thanks

 

I would require some help with the following:

 

- Help me define the House home planet.

- Help me define the Forge World.

- Help me define the House name.

- Help me define the timeline when the civil war between House and Forge World happened.

- Help me define the "slip" into heresy of the rebel part of the House.

- Help me define the livery/heraldry of the House. 

[dusara217]

@Seneschal

#1: You could very easily name the house home planet after something of historical or literary significance. Perhaps name it "Velletria," after the place where Augustus Caesar was born (founded Roman Empire, launched and won a Civil War at the death of Julius Caesar). Plus, Velletria sounds pretty cool, so there's that.

#2: Same thing here as with the House's home planet, I'd say you could name it something like "Assyria," since Assyrians were renowned for their cruelty and enslaved huge populations. Of course, Assyia doesn't sound too much like a planet name, so anything else could work, too.

#4: The time could be some time right around the Age of Apostasy, when the Forge World's forces would have been stretched thin trying to maintain order, and thus might not be able to send sufficient forces to pacify the House, while the House would have seen it as an excellent time to rebel. 

#5: You already provided the "slip", in that they were seeking any allies they could fin, and Chaos was willing to provide said allies. 

#6: This should be something you think is cool, it might have personal significance, but doesn't have to. Just pick something that's cool to you, and seems like something that a Knight House would value.

[Olis]

- Help me define the House home planet.

- Help me define the Forge World.

- Help me define the House name.

- Help me define the timeline when the civil war between House and Forge World happened.

- Help me define the "slip" into heresy of the rebel part of the House.

- Help me define the livery/heraldry of the House. 

 

1. Home world: Fairly simple to do, pick an influence and run with it. If you need to, throw some ideas in this thread and we'll try to see what sticks.
2. The Forge World itself is already partly defined in your explanation in the OP, however if you want to stick to the salient details then I think you need to just cover the broad points such as what importance the FW had, who ruled it and who they declared for. All the other details can be added over time if the article permits it.
3. The House name. We can't do everything for you but I would suggest either making up some names and seeing what sounds good or look into what influences you're using for the home world and go from there.
4. This bit we don't need to worry about yet. We can deal with that as the article is being made.
5. I agree with dusara. You've done the grunt work yourself for this one.
6. Again it depends on what influences you've used for the home world. Maybe some sort of theme would help.