House Mortan
| Colour Scheme | House Info | Symbol | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Name: | House Mortan |  |
| Affiliation: | Imperium[5a] | ||
| Knight World: | Kimdaria[5a] | ||
| Colours: | Black with Yellow and Red[5a] | ||
| Motto: | In War, Show No Mercy[5a] | ||
House Mortan is a Knight House of the Imperium.[1]
Contents
Overview
By the time the ancestors of House Mortan had arrived upon Kimdaria, the mysterious nebula known as the Black Pall that surrounded the planet had grown unexpectedly dense.[5a]
Fell creatures, already accustomed to the world’s dim light, roamed the ink-black landscapes, and it was only through the skill and dedication of the colonists’ Knights that the beasts were driven back and the first settlements established. For millennia after the Great Crusade, the Black Pall lingered over Kimdaria and its star system – not until late M35 did the impenetrable shroud partially dissipate, letting in a few diffused rays of sunlight and allowing the long-lost planet to be rediscovered by Mankind. What they found was a bleak and ritualistically ordered world, a place where soaring walls separated civilisation from the monster- haunted darkness that lay beyond. From heavy gates the black Knights of House Mortan would regularly emerge, their constant patrols keeping the encroaching predatory behemoths at bay. The towering war machines had become as accustomed to the endless night as the beasts they hunted, the darkness of their home world seeming to cling to them even when standing in the light, and so as to better fight their obscured enemies, the Knights of House Mortan placed a premium upon close combat. It is a tendency that holds to this day.[5a]
Known for their grim and taciturn attitude, House Mortan maintains its own fiefdom of worlds which are ritualistically ordered. Their principal fortress of Blackcrag is centered on immense dark keeps equipped with heavy weapons and batteries of orbital cannons.[10]
History
House Mortan stayed loyal to the Emperor during the Horus Heresy and sent their Knights to fight the Chaos forces of the traitorous Warmaster.[3]
Millennia later, they and the Knights of House Althalos and House Thalmus, came to the aid of the Hive World Hexis Alpha, when a Warp rift spawned a tide of Daemons across its surface. More than 100 billion lives were saved, due to the Knight Houses successful efforts in defending the Hive World from the Daemons.[1]
Knights of the House Mortan took part in the Siege of the Fenris System in 999.M41.[4]
Notable Battles
- Horus Heresy[3]
- The Defense of Hexis Alpha[1]
- Siege of the Fenris System[4]
- Battle of Dastorvol[5b]
- Talledus War[6]
- War in the Pariah Nexus[7]
- Attack with the Adepta Sororitas and Imperial Guard, under the command of Stern, on the Ice World of Cherist in the Lomorr System (battle won)[9]
- Octarius War[8]
House Elements
Known Knight Suits
Known Knights
High Monarchs
- Gerrolt — Current High King of the House and pilot of the Pride of Blackcrag.[2]
- Garthalomew — Former High King of House Mortan. Sacrificed himself to save a conclave of tech-magi during the evacuation of Dastorvol.[5b]
Other Knights
- Sir Dirkwald — Pilot of the Black Heart.[2] Recently completed his 1,000th patrol on Kimdaria, allowing him to serve off planet.[5a]
- Ludwig — Pilot of the War Strider.[2] Has killed a dozen Titan-class vessels.[5a]
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Imperial Knights (6th Edition) — The Knightly Houses - Lesser Houses
- 2: Codex: Imperial Knights (7th Edition) (e-book), House Mortan
- 3: Master of Mankind (Novel), Chapter 12
- 4: The Lost King (Short Story)
- 5: Codex: Imperial Knights (8th Edition):
- 5a: pgs. 32-33 — House Mortan
- 5b: pg. 116 — Heirlooms of the Noble Houses: Honour's Bite
- 6: Psychic Awakening: Faith and Fury pgs.16-17
- 7: Psychic Awakening: Pariah pg.5
- 8: War Zone Octarius - Book 1: Rising Tide, pgs. 30-31
- 9: Crusade: Pariah Nexus, pg. 9
- 10: Codex: Imperial Knights (10th Edition), pg. 13
