In the grim darkness of the future, there are tales of betrayal and corruption that send chills down the spines of even the most hardened warriors of the Imperium. These stories often revolve around fallen Noble Houses of the Adeptus Mechanicus, whose once-pristine histories have been stained by the taint of Chaos. The desecration of several Helms in the Mechanicum, for instance, led to the Fall From Grace of an entire Nighthouse.
In such tragic instances, connections that once allowed Saurin to control their Squires became conduits for warp filth to spread. Once noble Barons, Baronesses, High Kings, and Queens transformed into feverish barbarians. Their ancient mechanical joints, ritually oiled for centuries, sparked and crackled as they were forced into motion. Plasma reactors roared with fury as they went into overdrive to supply the Chaos Knights with the immense power they needed to unleash their wrath.
As they advanced, these Chaos Knights tilted their ion shields forward, warding off enemy fire before charging headlong into the fray. Their strategic foresight was replaced by a predatory desire for indiscriminate slaughter and the claiming of magnificent trophies in the name of personal glory. Unlike a loyalist Knight, akin to its noble’s valiant steed, a Chaos Knight is more like a rabid warhound. Its fallen Noble pilots constantly battle to retain dominance over their hate-filled war engines, forcing them to obey their will.
Their physical forms are terrifying to behold: drooling blood or acidic oils, ocular lenses blazing with murderous intent, hulls cloaked in miasmal fumes or crackling hellfires. Any nobility once housed within these deranged war engines has long soured into hate and madness.
Yet, some within the Imperium vehemently deny the existence of Chaos Knights. This disbelief has led to doctrinal conflicts on Adeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds, where Tech Magi find themselves divided on the matter. However, the Ordo Hereticus has declared such war engines as ‘quer traitoris’ in High Gothic, a damning testament to their fallen state.
Fallen Nobles abandon the age-old doctrines of armament obeyed by loyalist houses, arming their knights with an array of weaponry that best suit their preferred methods of murder. These Chaos-tainted armors are known as ‘wargs,’ the lightest walkers of the Fallen Noble houses. They are also the most savage, seeking out unprotected flanks and isolated enemies to crush.
The longer a Chaos Knight is corrupted, the more physically warped it becomes. Internal mechanisms burst through the outer carapace, forming rows of irregular spikes. Gun muzzles sprout teeth, gauntlet fists curl into cruel claws, and in extreme cases, the towering machine contorts into new configurations. These are the Abhorrent Class Knights, nightmares of metal and flesh that lunge hungrily towards wherever the fighting is thickest, annihilating all before them.
The cockpit of a Chaos Knight, where the fallen noble pilot sits enthroned, is a sight of unspeakable horror. The pilot is physically warped into a being of pure chaos as the throne Mechanicum absorbs ever more corrupting psychic energy. Some are absorbed completely, their flesh melding with the surrounding metal. Others devolve into Chaos Spawn, thrashing in a state of abject insanity, yet still able to control their knight suit and experience the true horror of their existence.
These fallen nobles rely on corrupted Artisans known as ‘Idolators’ to maintain the integrity of their Chaos Knight suits over countless brutal wars. Idolators, like those they serve, are an aberrant offshoot of the Imperium’s loyal populace. Their story, like all stories of the fallen, is a grim reminder of the omnipresent threat of corruption in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Leave a Reply