Changes

{{Ambiguous|subject=the specialized specialised Space Marines Chapter|disambiguation=Grey Knights}}

The '''Grey Knights''' are a [[Space Marines]] [[Chapter]] and the [[Chamber Militant]] for the [[Ordo Malleus]]. The Chapter specializes specialises in the hunting and extermination of [[Chaos]] [[Daemonsdaemon]]s.  

The '''Grey Knights''' are the legendary Chapter 666 - and although nominally a Chapter of the Astartes, they are in the chamber militant Chamber Militant of the [[Inquisition]].^{10 Pg. 7, 44} Each member of the chapter undergoes a gruelling and torturous selection process, and even once inducted, their harsh training regime is without equal. In battle, they move as an army of silver ghosts, surrounded by awe, and equipped to the teeth to deal with the worst foes that [[Chaos]] can raise to meet them.

Much of the Grey Knights history remains in mystery and secrecy or has been purposefully removed from archives. However according to legend, the Grey Knights began as a project during the final days of the [[Horus Heresy]]. The Emperor foresaw that the Heresy would likely end at such a great personal cost to himself that he would be prevented from actively defending mankind from the great threat of Chaos and its Daemons. So the Emperor set in motion a plan to form a defence against such evil. [[Malcador (Character)|Malcador]] the Sigilite, closest of the Emperor's servants, was sent to search across the [[Imperium ]] for men suitable to rise to such a burden.^{10 p.6-7}

Titan, through Malcador's sorcerous means, had been hidden away from the ravages of the Horus Heresy. When they arrived they found a [[Fortress Monastery-monastery]] already fully prepared and stocked with everything necessary to create a new army of Space Marines including supplies of gene-seed, which is suspected to have been taken from the Emperor directly, and all the necessary armaments. The fortress was also already populated with hundreds upon hundreds of suitable recruits from across the [[Galaxy]]. Some were raw and untrained, whilst others were selected in secret from among the ranks of loyalist Legions. This new army would be a [[Chapter ]] - a smaller, tighter brotherhood of Space Marines than a Legion. Malcador could no longer remain and thus he appointed [[Janus]], one of the eight original Space Marines, to be the Grey Knights leader and take the title of [[Supreme Grand Master]]. Before leaving, Malcador cast his greatest enchantment yet; he hid Titan away from Horus in the most unlikely of places, inside the [[Warp]] itself. Titan was protected by Macro-[[Geller field]]s and sigilic rites whilst the final battles of the Heresy took place in [[Real Space]].^{10 p.6-7}

When Titan eventually returned, the [[Second Founding]] was taking place. Whilst in the warpWarp, time had passed at a greater rate for Titan and so it had emerged not with the original eight Space Marines and their raw recruits, but with a full Chapter of one thousand fully trained Battle-Brothers. The Second Founding was being directed by the newly formed Inquisition under the control of the same lords who Malcador had selected years before. So they secretly included the Grey Knights amongst the growing list of new Chapters, designating them Chapter 666, despite there being barely 400 Chapters commissioned at the time. The Grey Knights, different from all the other new Chapters, were embedded within the Inquisition to serve as the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Malleus to fight against all things Daemonic.^{10 p.6-7}

==OrganizationOrganisation==

Considering the role of the Grey Knights, potential recruits are put through even more stringent trials than other [[Space Marine]] [[Neophyte]]s. Unlike most Space Marine Chapters, the Grey Knight recruits are drawn directly from the [[Black Ships]] after they return to [[Terra]] they are then brought to [[Titan (Moon)|Titan]] for testing.⁷ The most advanced bio-engineering and psycho-surgery available is utilised to condition the Neophytes, and each recruit must pass the six hundred and sixty six Rituals of Detestation, to prove that he is capable of withstanding horrors that would break even the greatest of 'normal' Space Marines. Upon success, the recruit also has the majority of their memories and personality erased¹, to better ensure their absolute and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor. One of the main criteria for selection is that the recruit must show great psychic potential, as the entire Chapter is made up of [[psyker]]s. Once accepted into the chapter and undergoing the standard process to transform into a member of the Adeptus Astartes, the new Grey Knight is also implanted with silver purity wards under his skin which cover his entire body.

The fortress-monastery of the Grey Knights is based on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, and is carved entirely of basalt. Within the fortress hang pennants, banners and flags commemorating the victories and sacrifices made by the chapter in their war against the daemonic, but none other than the Grey Knights would recognise the names of these campaigns. The chapter operates in oppressive secrecy, beyond the knowledge of the [[Adeptus Terra ]] and even the [[High Lords of Terra]] - as a part of the Ordo Malleus, the Grey Knights are answerable only to the Ordo and the [[Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]]. Even the location of the fortress-monastery is known only to the Ordo Malleus. Titan itself is surrounded by the rings of Saturn and multiple confidential Malleus-controlled moons: '''Mimas''', the prison and execution centre of the Ordo Malleus, '''Enceladus''', home of the leaders of the Ordo Malleus and other influential Malleus [[Inquisitor]]s, and several other worlds.

The fortress-monastery also contains the '''Librarium Daemonica''', the Imperium's foremost repository of warp Warp lore and daemonology. The Librarium is a forbidding place, filled with the tens of thousands of the ancient tomes of diabolic lore the Ordo Malleus has accumulated over the millennia.

The Grey Knight chapter usually has 8 Grand Masters, each having command of a Grey Knights Brotherhoodbrotherhood. An Unmatched unmatched daemonslayer, the Grand Master wears [[Terminator armor Armour]] and wields a powerful nemesis Nemesis force weapon in battle, He is also a powerful psyker. Few Daemons have been able to stand against a Grand Master and survive. The death of such a powerful defender of the Emperor's will is always mourned by the Grey Knights and the [[Ordo Malleus]] - though never will a common citizen know of him.²

Grey Knights Chaplains fulfill [[Chaplain]]s fulfil the same functions as in other Marine chapters, albeit on a much higher level, as they have to minister to the spiritual needs of soldiers destined to fight the most horrible of foes. They are rare specimens indeed, and the Chapter has precious few of them. Yet, thanks to them, not one Grey Knight has fallen to Chaos.^{8 p35}

Akin to the [[Librarians]] of other Chapters, The Grey Knighs Librarian supports his Battle -Brothers with psychic powers far stronger than those of his bretherenbrethren.¹⁶

At the forefront of every Grey Knight Brotherhood is the Brotherhood Champion - a warrior who has forsaken all other forms of combat to become a master of the blade. His chief duty is to act as a bodyguard for his Brother -Captain and sacrifice himself if necessary. This ultimate sacrifice is rare, however, as few foes are skilled enough to defeat the Champion in combat.¹⁵

Like all Space Marine Chapters, the battle-brothers wearing Terminator armour are the elite of the Grey Knights. Standing above even these elite warriors are the [[PaladinsPaladin]]s, warriors who are bound to protect one of the chapters Grand Masters.¹⁷

The "standard" Grey Knight trooper, equipped in [[Power Armour]].Grey Knights battle brothers Battle-Brothers can serve in several different types of squad; : [[Grey Knights Strike Squad|Strike Squad]]s - the most basic form of unit, [[Grey Knight Interceptor Squad|Interceptor Squad]]s - equipped with personal teleporters, [[Grey Knights Purgation Squad|Purgation Squads]] - heavy support squads carrying multiple heavy weapons or as [[Grey Knight Purifier Squad|Purifier Squads]] - elite units considered even more incorruptable incorruptible than the rest of their brethren.¹³

As with other chapters, the Grey Knights employ [[TechmarinesTechmarine]] s to maintain and operate their war machines.

*[[Grey Knights Dreadnought|Dreadnought]]s and [[Nemesis Dreadknight|Dreadknights]] - Like other [[Space Marine]] [[Chapter]]s, mortally wounded Grey Knights are sometimes placed within the massive battle armor armour known as a Dreadnought. Unlike other Chapters, however, Grey Knights do not look upon this extension of their life as an honour - all Grey Knights desire to be brought to the crypts underneath the [[Temple of the Emperor]] on Titan and laid to rest with their brothers over continuing life inside a machine. As such, Grey Knight Dreadnoughts are extremely rare.

Like other Space Marine chapters, the Grey Knights' primary mode of transportation transport is the strike cruiser class of ship that is exclusive to the chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The Grey Knights' ships however are specially modified in several ways. One is the hexagrammic and anti-daemonic wards that are built into the entire ship from bridge to landing struts and every bulkhead in between, similar to those that are placed under the skin of the Grey Knights themselves that lend the ship added protection from the forces of Chaos. Also, the Grey Knights' strike cruisers are equipped with significantly more advanced armour than the ships of other chapters. This is to allow them to close with more powerful foes and reach their destination safely since the Grey Knights have to fight more powerful enemies than the standard Adeptus Astartes chapters. Finally, the landing and drop pod bays are enlarged to be able to deploy larger numbers of marines faster.

The modifications to their ships are made possible by two factors. The first is their fortress -monastery's location in the rings of Saturn, its close proximity to [[Mars]], the greatest forge world [[Forge World]] in the Imperium of Man, allowing access to technology that was forgotten or is impossible to replicate anywhere else in the Imperium (this could also explain the high quality of all Grey Knights equipment). The other reason is the resources that the Ordo Malleus gives the Grey Knights due to their close working relationship as the Ordo's Chamber Militant.

*Justicar Genhain - Served with Justicar Alaric while facing Ghargatuloth. He survived the ordeal and was later sent to join the rest of the Grey Knights in Thirteenth the [[13th Black Crusade]].^{8 p.76}

*Brother Haulvarn - Served with Justicar Alaric during all three of his campains. He was also captured along side Alaric and forced into gladiatorial combat on the planet [[Drakaasi]] where he was killed.^{8 p.76}

*A greater [[Daemon-Prince]], [[Ghargatuloth]], The Prince of a Thousand Faces, and hordes of lesser daemons were discovered on [[Khorion IX]]. One-thousand years later the same greater daemon was hunted down on the [[Trail of Saint Evisser]] by the Grey Knights.

*²⁰: ''[[Sacrifice (short story from Victories of the Space Marines)|Sacrifice]] '' by Ben Counter, page 382-387 and 390-398 and 403-407