House Krast
Colour Scheme | House Info | Symbol | |
---|---|---|---|
Name: | House Krast | ||
Affiliation: | Imperium[1a][1b] | ||
Knight World: | Chrysis[1a][1b] | ||
Colours: | Red[1b] | ||
Motto: | Crush the Serpent[5a] |
House Krast are a Knight House of the Imperium located on Chrysis.[1a][1b]
Overview
House Krast was the first non-Martian Knight House that declared their allegiance with the Imperium during the Great Crusade in 850.M30.[1a][1c][4] Its early allegiance allowed it to be showered with ancient Knight Armours from Mars in return for granting their benefactors access to Chrysis.[8a]
The proximity of Chrysis to Mars meant that the knightly houses of Chrysis were able to swiftly resupply their Knights with new weapons and equipment.[1a] Krast was foremost amongst these houses, and their martial strength was increased even more by their new alliance with the Mechanicum. House Krast gladly did Mars's bidding, marching at their new masters' order to fight in the Emperor’s wars, leaving the lesser houses of Chrysis to consolidate the alliance with the Mechanicum. However, Chrysis's closeness with Mars ultimately proved its undoing when the full might of Horus’ traitor forces descended upon the Knight World as he carved a bloody path across the galaxy towards Terra. The Knights of House Krast returned to their planet only to find it devastated and the lesser houses all but erased from existence.[1a] By the end of the Horus Heresy, House Krast had been reduced from 400 Knights to just 100, with those who survived swearing oaths of vengeance against the Traitors.[8a] Ever since the Heresy, the Knights of House Krast have vowed that whenever the threat of Chaos rears its malformed head, they will be there to sever it at the neck.[1a]
House Krast holds great enmity for the forces of Chaos. However, they reserve particular hatred for the Traitor Titans of the Legio Mortis (the Death's Heads). Krast and Mortis often fought alongside each other during the Great Crusade due to their ties to Mars, only for the Death's Heads to join Horus's cause, fall to the worship of Nurgle and lead the Traitor forces in the conflict which saw the devastation of Chrysis and the destruction of the other Knight Houses of that world.[1b]
The Knights of House Krast have ever sought to avenge their fallen kinsmen, and seek out the Titans of Legio Mortis above all others in battle. Despite this, they will never refuse a call to battle from the Adeptus Mechanicus.[1b][3]
Rumoured sightings of the Legio Mortis amongst the Chaos forces besieging the Cadian Gate has led to House Krast redeploying to that war zone in great force.[1b][10a] Despite the forces of Chaos claiming victory in the conflict, House Krast, undaunted, launched six Crusades of Vengeance, each aiming to reinforce a major Forge World: Artemia Majoris, Graia, Phaeton, Stygies VIII, Urdesh and Voss.[5b]
Notable Actions
- M34: — Cleansing the Flensed Worlds of Orks. House Krast helped the Adeptus Mechanicus explorator fleet to recover rare archeotech, including the lost STC technology required to produce Las-Impulsors.[5c][6b]
- 512.999.M41: A Blade in the Void[1d]
- 999.M41: The 13th Black Crusade[9]
- M42: The purging of Trynnect
- M42: The Indomitus Crusade
- M42: Crusades of Vengeance[5b]
- Date Unknown: The Battle of Herald's Fall — Four lances of House Krast supported the Cockatrices against the Orks of Waaagh! Spleenrippa. They lost half of their number in the fighting, but were victorious, with a number of the survivors being honoured by the Fabricator-General himself for their actions.[1b]
- Date Unknown: The Suppression Wars
- Date Unknown: Waaagh! Cogstompa.[5a]
Customs and Culture
When a scion of Krast kills an enemy Titan in battle, his deed will be celebrated on his return to Chrysis. This is especially true if said Titan is one of the Death's Heads; if this happens, then the knight will be treated to a triumph in his honour and he will henceforth be known as a Headtaker.[1b]
Heraldry
Prior to the Horus Heresy, House Krast's Knights wore blue armour.[8b][8c] Due to the close ties between Krast and Mars, however, the Knights of House Krast have since made the colour red most prominent in their heraldry.[1b][3]
Prior to the Horus Heresy, the symbol of House Krast was a lion rampant. However, following the great war, the house's symbol was changed to that of a black iron fist crushing a yellow serpent which represents Chaos.[1b][3][Conflicting sources]
Barons are denoted by a pair of yellow stripes on top of a Knight suit's carapace armour.[3] If a Knight slays an engine of Legio Mortis and becomes a Headtaker, they are entitled to bear a broken Death’s Head symbol (a Headsman's Mark[5d]) on his Knight suit or tabard, recognising both their heroic deed and the destruction of a hated foe.[1b][10a]
House Elements
Known Knight Suits
Due to their assistance recovering the STC for the las-impulsor, House Krast are known to field a large number of Knight Preceptors.[5c]
Cerastus Pattern
Questoris Pattern
- Fervorous Defender — Warden.[8b]
- Headtaker — Errant.[3]
- Hexenhammer — Errant.[3]
- Redemption of Adamant — Crusader.[3][5a]
Armiger Pattern
Known Knights
Barons
- Bartolf — Baron.[Needs Citation]
- Lagos — Pilot of the Knight Crusader Redemption of Adamant.[3][5a]
- Winstone — Baron, pilot of a Knight Gallant.[Needs Citation]
Headtakers
- Sir Forillus — Pilot of Headtaker. Seconded to the Cockatrices following the Battle of Herald's Fall[1b][3], eventually returning to his House.[5a]
Other Knights
- Baduin Alarbus Selwyn — Pilot of the Red Ruin[7]
- Scion Garathi Ashbrone — Pilot of the Knight Warden Fervorous Defender and seen as a potential future Grand Master of the House. Slain during the bombardment of Chrysis during the Horus Heresy.[8b]
- Countess Karyx — Pilot of the Knight Armiger Serpent's Bane. Slew the Alpha Legion Chaos Lord Stentyrius.[5a]
- Bondsman Narsus — Pilot of the Knight Helverin Hate's Requiem, whose Machine Spirit displays vicious hatred against traitor forces.[5a]
- Lady Taraga Krast[10b]
- Tenacia Krast — Precept.[10a]
- Teros — Pilot of Hexenhammer.[3] Known for his skill in hunting and slaying witches.[10a]
- Xander Krast — Freeblade.[Needs Citation]
- Sir Xantus — Pilot of the Red Fury.[2]
Images
Trivia
Conflicting sources
- Multiple sources state that House Krast's symbol prior to the Horus Heresy was a lion rampant.[1b][3][10a] However, Adeptus Titanicus: Loyalist Legios instead displays a square cross as the house's emblem.[8a]
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Imperial Knights (6th Edition):
- 2: Warhammer: Visions 7, pg. 177
- 3: Codex: Imperial Knights (7th Edition), pgs. 60-61 — House Krast
- 4: White Dwarf September 2016 — The Ultimate Guide to... Imperial Knights - M30-31
- 5: Codex: Imperial Knights (8th Edition):
- 6: Codex: Adeptus Mechanicus (8th Edition):
- 7: White Dwarf February 2020, pg. 60
- 8: Adeptus Titanicus: Loyalist Legios:
- 9: Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), pg. 16
- 10: Codex: Imperial Knights (9th Edition):