Index Traitoris: House Adraxian [Iron Gauntlet 2020]

[Gederas]

House Datafile:

 

House Adraxian

 

Primary Data

War Cry"We bring the storm!" (Pre-Heresy) / "We are the storm!" (Post-Heresy)

FoundingAge of Technology

HomeworldVangrathor

AllegianceChaos; Chaos Undivided (Traitoris Perdita)

ColoursBlue, Black and Silver (bronze trimwork denotes rank)

 

INTRODUCTION

House Adraxian is a Renegade Knight House of Chaos Knights. Declared Iconoclast during the Scouring, these Knights were rediscovered during the Great Crusade by the VIII Legion and Konrad Curze. In an unusual showing, the Knights of House Adraxian swore allegiance to the Imperium and Curze in particular, viewing his sense of justice and punishment much like their own. The butchery done by the Night Lords as the Great Crusade progressed was distasteful to them, but they saw the extreme results of the Night Lords' tactics

 

Their loyalty to the Night Lords was what set them down the path to becoming an Iconoclast household. During the Horus Heresy, the House's leadership openly went along with the acts of savagery and brutality the Night Lords perpetrated. With their Knight armours, the scions of House Adraxian committed horrific acts of butchery as the Heresy raged.

 

Their homeworld of Vangrathor is constantly wracked by powerful storms, with only a few days to weeks in-between these massive storms of lightning and wind. In order to survive, the settlers built massive citadels that could weather these storms. It is from this stormwrought world that the Knights of House Adraxian sally forth from, bringing a storm of death and destruction to their foes.

 

HISTORY

Rediscovered during the Great Crusade, House Adraxian's initial encounters with the nascent Imperium of Man was with Konrad Curze and the VIIIth Legion. Arriving on the strum-wreathed world of Vangrathor, It was there that the Night Lords found the Knights of House Adraxian. The Nobles of the household immediately swore allegiance to the Imperium, and Curze in particular, for in the Night Haunter they saw manifested their own tenets of swift justice, and dissuasion by example.

 

Answering his calls to battle without question, the Knights of Vangrathor lead massive assaults to crush all who dared oppose their Lord's will. Even when Curze turned against the Imperium, the Knights of Vangrathor held true to their vows of service. As the Horus Heresy progressed, the changes in the Night Lords also begin to affect House Adraxian, the Knights becoming more belligerent and brutal, destroying their foes in the most brutal of manners possible.

 

Upon the end of the Heresy, the Knights retreated to their storm-wreathed homeworld. During this retreat, the warp rift near Vangrathor expanded dramatically, swallowing the area around the planet's solar system, but leaving the Vangrathor system untouched. It was this event that made the Knight World of Vangrathror untouchable by the Imperium, as to try and assault it was suicide due to the rift for only the Knights of Vangrathor knew the ways through the Empyrean to safely reach home. They would only share this knowledge with one group: The Night Lords

 

What was to be the breaking point for the now morose and withdrawn Knights of House Adraxian was when the Night Lords warband known as the Fangs of the Father, lead by one Jago Terask, was that Konrad Curze was dead, assassinated by the Imperium of Man. Upon hearing of Curze's death at the hands of the Callidus Assassin M'Shen, the Lord of House Adraxian swore an oath of undying enmity against the Emperor and Imperium. It was from this, that the Knights of Vangrathor sallied forth once more side-by-side with the Night Lords, only this time hell-bent on the utter destruction of the Imperium of Man.

 

In the millennia since, House Adraxian has waged apocalyptic wars against the Imperium, with several planets being stricken clean of life by the vengeful Knights.

 

HOMEWORLD

Vangrathor is a planet that is rich in natural resources, such as woods and many variety of wildlife. The moon of said planet however is very mineral rich and is exploited by the household for those resources. The world is continually wreathed in raging weather, with powerful eletrical storms and gales that destroy all but the steel-and-adamantine structures of the Nobles of House Adraxian.

 

Nestled in the Vandraras Sector of the Segmentum Ultima, Vangrathor was in close proximity to a warp rift, much like the Eye of Terror or the Maelstrom, but on a smaller scale, nearly the size of a solar system. However, at the end of the Horus Heresy, the Warp Rift near Vangrathor expanded dramatically, surrounding the Knight World's solar system. However, their world's system was not pulled into the warp, but is instead, essentially a realspace island surrounded by the Warp. Only the Night Lords and this house know the coordinates to successfully reach their system, and as such the system has become a garrison for the Night Lords, specifically the Fangs of the Father, when not raiding.

 

The flora and fauna of Vangrathor have adapted to the harsh environment, becoming incredibly hardy and resilient. Massive trees, much like the Redwoods of Old Terra, make up a majority of the major flora of the planet, with ferns and shrubs making up the lesser flora. The fauna of the planet tends towards larger bodies, with some of the animals reaching the size of a Knight suit. These creatures are hunted for sport and food by the populace of Vangrathor.

 

COLOUR AND HERALDRY

The Knights of House Adraxian are noted for their dark frames, blackened adamantine, with deep blue-and-black armour and silver trimwork. Higher ranking Knights are denoted by bronze trim, with the Lord Dominus/Dominatrix having entirely bronze trim on their Knight.

 

Of note is the electrical discharge on the Knight's frame. Similar to the Night Lords, these bolts of electricity have always sparked around the Knights of Vangrathor, and since their fall to Chaos, the discharges have become larger and more powerful. Instead of just being decorative, these electrical discharges form a defense around the Knight's framework, electrocuting smaller enemies who try to clamber onto the Knight to assault it's less armoured areas.

 

Even before their fall, the Knights of Vangrathor had grim designs of death on their armour, marking them as harbingers of doom to their enemies. Their house symbol is that of a fanged skull, and since their fall the skull design has become more daemonic since. The heraldry of the Knights of House Adraxian has barely changed, only becoming more daemonic to show their new allegiance, showing these brutal Knights remain much the same, even after their fall to Chaos.

 

NOTABLE KNIGHTS

Euroclydon - This Knight Desecrator is piloted by Lord Valzak, who has claimed the keep of Vandar on Vangrathor. Euroclydon is notable for it's unique Laser Destructor, a massive cannon comparable to a titan-grade weapon.

Sundowner - Sundowner is the Knight Rampager piloted by the Fallen Noble Andras. Like all Knights of House Adraxian, Sundowner has eletrical energy cascading along its frame. What is notable however, is that Sundowner's frame hosts a particularly violent electrical corona. In the thick of battle, rivulets of lightning continually burst from its vents and spark around its joints, growing more anarchic as the battle increases.

 

NOTABLE PERSONNEL

Lord Valzak - With his Knight Desecrator known as Euroclydon, Lord Valzak has earned a fell reputation within House Adraxian. The campaigns he has launched against Imperial worlds are marked by speed and ferocity, lasting only a month at the longest. Often campaigning with the Night Lords, Lord Valzak targets transportation hubs and spaceports first, ensuring that his victims have no means of retreat.

Andras - The impetuous Andras and his Knight Despoiler, Sundowner, are often the first of their lance to engage the enemy, scything through hordes of their foes like a farmer through wheat.

 

NOTABLE CAMPAIGNS

Battle of Vigrid's Fall (750.M31): The Knights of House Adraxian joined the Fangs of the Father on their assault of the planet of Vigrid's Fall.

Assault on Tarxes (850.M32): The Knights of House Adraxian attack the Armoury World of Tarxes, rampaging through the manufactorums and foundries. The House's serfs make off with many arms and armour during the battle while the Knights distract the PDF's attention. It was during this assault that the unique Laser Destructor that would come to be equipped on Euroclydon was found by the Knights of Vangrathor.

 

 

++ PLACEHOLDER - WORK IN PROGRESS ++

Edited April 5, 2020 by Gederas

[Gederas]

And here is the Knights of House Adraxian. The theme with these guys is "storm", represented in both their homeworld, and also all of their Knight suits bearing names of winds.

[UtariOnzo]

Very cool initial outline. I assume their heraldry will be similar to the Night Lords given associations with Storms and the like?

[Focslain]

Like the start of this. Guessing either they got a gods favor or I smell blackstone a foot to protect their holdings.

 

Hope you don't mind if I borrow your formatting for my own article.

[Brother Ezra]

Night Lords-affiliated Knights... sign me the hell up! Looking forward to seeing these guys develop 

 

Little nitpick: you mention that they were declared Iconoclast during the Scouring, but wouldn't they have been declared as such the moment they joined the Traitors' side in the Heresy?

[Focslain]

Night Lords-affiliated Knights... sign me the hell up! Looking forward to seeing these guys develop 

 

Little nitpick: you mention that they were declared Iconoclast during the Scouring, but wouldn't they have been declared as such the moment they joined the Traitors' side in the Heresy?

 

Considering the Scouring was right after the failed siege of terra it makes sense that they would be excommunicated along with the rest of legion they served. There were factions within the traitor legions that still fought against the heretics. 

 

The scouring just made it official.

 

Just my thought on matter of course.

[Gederas]

Very cool initial outline. I assume their heraldry will be similar to the Night Lords given associations with Storms and the like?

Yeah. They're going to have lightning on their armour plating, I just need to finish painting Euroclydon as the example.

 

Like the start of this. Guessing either they got a gods favor or I smell blackstone a foot to protect their holdings.

 

Hope you don't mind if I borrow your formatting for my own article.

I'll leave it up to the reader's imagination ;) (personally, I was going with "warp does weird things")

 

And feel free. I stole the formatting from someone else's article :lol:

 

Night Lords-affiliated Knights... sign me the hell up! Looking forward to seeing these guys develop 

 

Little nitpick: you mention that they were declared Iconoclast during the Scouring, but wouldn't they have been declared as such the moment they joined the Traitors' side in the Heresy?

Thanks!

 

See below for the nitpick.

 

Night Lords-affiliated Knights... sign me the hell up! Looking forward to seeing these guys develop 

 

Little nitpick: you mention that they were declared Iconoclast during the Scouring, but wouldn't they have been declared as such the moment they joined the Traitors' side in the Heresy?

Considering the Scouring was right after the failed siege of terra it makes sense that they would be excommunicated along with the rest of legion they served. There were factions within the traitor legions that still fought against the heretics. 

 

The scouring just made it official.

 

Just my thought on matter of course.

That's basically what I was going with. Most of the Houses that went traitor during the Heresy were officially declared Iconoclast after the Heresy/During the Scouring.

[Gederas]

Added to the history section for House Adraxian

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Did Vangrathor suffer from domestic strife and civil war before the Night Lords found the planet- chaos the Night Haunter personally ended by killing those who challenged House Adraxian's authority, thus earning the Knights' eternal loyalty?

[Messor]

I love the visual of Knights in the style of the Night Lords. It's an intuitive pairing.

 

Other Vangrathor questions; given how long and how powerful the storms on the planet are, what is the flora and fauna like that can withstand it?

 

And what is the populace like, being the subjects of a Chaos Knight House? Do they share the House's enmity towards the Imperium, or are they little more than slaves for the extraction of resources the House requires? Has the world or the people felt the mutating effects of Chaos and the warp on their doorstep, or are they preserved whole?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Other Vangrathor questions; given how long and how powerful the storms on the planet are, what is the flora and fauna like that can withstand it?

 

And what is the populace like, being the subjects of a Chaos Knight House? Do they share the House's enmity towards the Imperium, or are they little more than slaves for the extraction of resources the House requires? Has the world or the people felt the mutating effects of Chaos and the warp on their doorstep, or are they preserved whole?

I like it when people THINK about what someone has written. Failure to do so has ruined many, many, MANY works. (Glares at Chris Chibnall, Roberto Orci, Rian Johnson, Daniel Kibblesmith...)

[Kelborn]

Ooooh I love this one already!

 

Night Lords aligned Knights? Ave Dominus Nox!

 

Really enjoying to read your stuff thus far. May I propose something but only if this would be in line with their new "brutal" incarnation?

 

Imagine captives hanging in cages from the Knights carapace. Artificially kept alive and in a constant state of agony, always hoping for a lucky strike to end their suffering but protected by the Knights shields. Their screams and pleading effecting enemy foot soldiers, creating an aura of dread around each Knight.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Imagine captives hanging in cages from the Knights carapace. Artificially kept alive and in a constant state of agony, always hoping for a lucky strike to end their suffering but protected by the Knights shields. Their screams and pleading effecting enemy foot soldiers, creating an aura of dread around each Knight.

Good idea! Let's hook up the captives to a psychic amplifier that jams enemy sensors and communications (see the "Scream" installed aboard the Night Lords strike cruiser Echo of Damnation, in Aaron Dembski-Bowden's novels).

Edited March 30, 2020 by Bjorn Firewalker

[Gederas]

Did Vangrathor suffer from domestic strife and civil war before the Night Lords found the planet- chaos the Night Haunter personally ended by killing those who challenged House Adraxian's authority, thus earning the Knights' eternal loyalty?

Unsure as of now. But I was thinking Vangrathor itself is basically a more twisted meritocracy, in the sense that those most capable are able to rise up, and the rulership has a bit (read: actually quite a lot) of a Social Darwinist view.

 

I love the visual of Knights in the style of the Night Lords. It's an intuitive pairing.

 

Other Vangrathor questions; given how long and how powerful the storms on the planet are, what is the flora and fauna like that can withstand it?

 

And what is the populace like, being the subjects of a Chaos Knight House? Do they share the House's enmity towards the Imperium, or are they little more than slaves for the extraction of resources the House requires? Has the world or the people felt the mutating effects of Chaos and the warp on their doorstep, or are they preserved whole?

I was thinking the flora would be the hardy kinds you'd find in areas that naturally have large amounts of storms. So trees, shrubs, plant-life that's more durable. The fauna I'm imagining would be similarly hardy. Likely to be megafauna (probably like Monster Hunter's creatures).

 

To the second question: The populace shares the House's enmity towards the Imperium, they kind of have to because House Adraxian controls the planet

 

Ooooh I love this one already!

 

Night Lords aligned Knights? Ave Dominus Nox!

 

Really enjoying to read your stuff thus far. May I propose something but only if this would be in line with their new "brutal" incarnation?

 

Imagine captives hanging in cages from the Knights carapace. Artificially kept alive and in a constant state of agony, always hoping for a lucky strike to end their suffering but protected by the Knights shields. Their screams and pleading effecting enemy foot soldiers, creating an aura of dread around each Knight.

Interesting..... Though that'd be a modelling nightmare Maybe on the bigger Knights (like the Dominus/Acastus)

 

Imagine captives hanging in cages from the Knights carapace. Artificially kept alive and in a constant state of agony, always hoping for a lucky strike to end their suffering but protected by the Knights shields. Their screams and pleading effecting enemy foot soldiers, creating an aura of dread around each Knight.

Good idea! Let's hook up the captives to a psychic amplifier that jams enemy sensors and communications (see the "Scream" installed aboard the Night Lords strike cruiser Echo of Damnation, in Aaron Dembski-Bowden's novels).

I'm thinking that bit of knowledge about the Scream would be disseminated amongst the Night Lords after those novels by Deltrian, seeing as how he's the one who came up with it and he escaped as well. So, my Night Lords have access to it, but only much later in their history (basically only their 'current' M41-42 time)

Edited April 1, 2020 by Gederas

[Gederas]

Added to the Homeworld and Notable Campaigns sections, as well as adding the Colours section

[Llagos_Tyrant]

I'm really enjoying reading this and seeing it fleshed out. My only comment would be that the date of the Battle of Vigrid's Fall is before the traitor Legions break free from the Eye of Terror in the First Black Crusade - I haven't seen it stated on either this page or the Fangs of the Father page, but did the Fangs of the Father take refuge with House Adraxian in realspace or retreat to the Eye? 

 

If they fell back to the Eye, you may want to change the date of the battle to align with when the Legions managed to break from the Eye - or confirm whether they were sheltered by House Adraxian after the Scouring. It could also be an opportunity for the Knightly House to shape the character of the Fangs of the Father, and vice versa, during their sanctuary.

[Gederas]

I'm really enjoying reading this and seeing it fleshed out. My only comment would be that the date of the Battle of Vigrid's Fall is before the traitor Legions break free from the Eye of Terror in the First Black Crusade - I haven't seen it stated on either this page or the Fangs of the Father page, but did the Fangs of the Father take refuge with House Adraxian in realspace or retreat to the Eye? 

 

If they fell back to the Eye, you may want to change the date of the battle to align with when the Legions managed to break from the Eye - or confirm whether they were sheltered by House Adraxian after the Scouring. It could also be an opportunity for the Knightly House to shape the character of the Fangs of the Father, and vice versa, during their sanctuary.

The Fangs never went to the Eye of Terror, once the Siege broke, they retreated with House Adraxian back to Vangrathor. I'll make that more clear in the articles.