Ordo Umbrex Militant I: The Silver Knights
"None escape the reach of the Righteous." -The Emperor of Mankind
Primarch: All twenty through gene-seed hybridization.
Symbol: Skull-capped ][
Colors: Metallic Silver with countless ritual marks engraved into it.
Capital World- Titan, Moon of Saturn.
Specialty: Anti-Chaos operations, high-value occult target elimination and ritual disruption.
Battlecry: "The Emperor Protects, and So must we"
The Eight Lord-Paladins
The Silver Knights geneseed was born from hybridization of all twenty genetic lineages of the Adeptus Astartes and is extracted the most powerful and anti-chaotic qualities in each line. It is then was further enhanced and manipulated by the Emperor. As such, the Knights lacked a Primarch to lead them. To combat this, the Emperor crafted eight Super-Astartes to lead the Knights. These eight beings are perpetual born from the Angel's power, souls of fallen heroes, and an improved hybrid of the Custodes and Astartes creation process. While pale imitations compared to the might of a Primarch, they each possess formidable psychic power and the knowledge of hundreds of fallen Astartes. These Lord-Paladins are listed below. Each is named after a Monster slayer of human myth. Their individual temperament and abilities reflect these legendary names. Names such as O'seimei and Jediah, indicate their strength as masterful sages. Or Peraseus and Dolzak, confirm them as legendary warriors and slayers, and all of them take power from their names, and the blinding power of the Emperor.. The Lord-Paladins act as a council of equals, each specialized in a different field of expertise.
Mîkha'El: 1st Lord-Paladin and Paxiarch of Order. The firstborn Lord-Paladin and best leader/strategist of them. Most often found within the Segmentum Solar, or the largest active warzone against Chaos where he puts his tactical genius and charisma to use destroying the forces of Chaos. Mikkha'el is an extremely skilled swordsman as well, combining martial technique with psychic powers to a devastating degree. The closest the Knights have to a public face, and oddly charming for his order.
Kiddu: 2nd Lord-Paladin and Cleanser of Corruption: Chaos corruption is an eternal danger to the Imperium. The oozing taint of the Warp infesting worlds beyond count. Kiddu specializes in the purification of corrupted worlds and locations. Patient and introverted, the Second Lord Paladin spends as much time in his laboratory as anywhere else. Refining new methods of purification. A master of Biomancy and Sanctic Daemonology, Kiddu's ultimate goal is the discovery of a method to permanently cleanse Daemon Worlds.
Hellzing: 3rd Lord-Paladin and Hunter of Horrors- Across the vast galaxy, powerful agents of Chaos work to fulfill their foul masters' will. The grim and brooding third Lord-Paladin has made it his quest to root out this source of corruption. Hellzing travels the galaxy, hunting the most powerful and dangerous slaves of darkness in existence. Leading his specialized brotherhood, the third Lord-Paladin stays away from most roles expected of him and his brothers. Instead, he devotes himself to the search, using powerful telekinetic and telepathic powers to hunt and aim true.
Sol-Vukong: 4th Lord-Paladin and Defender of the Innocent- Flamboyant and energetic, Sol-Vukong is one of the most physically powerful of all the Lord-Paladins, wielding biomancy and pyromancy to turn himself into a living meteor of avenging flame. Jovial to the point some wonder if he does not take his duties seriously, Sol-Vukong specializes in the defense of at-risk zones and protecting civilian populations from Chaotic invasions. He accomplishes this not by siege work, but by providing a rallying point for defenders and breaking the enemy command structure with his Force-Staff.
O'Seimei: 5th Lord Paladin and Master of Rituals- A patient and an extremely powerful psyker, O'Seimei is a specialist in sorcery and arcane rituals. Many of the warding arrays across the Cadian Gate are his work. Pensive to the extreme, O'Seimei constantly seeks new methods to lock the darkness away. He can often be found exploring the Warp and cataloging its wisdom away in great archives within Titan. He also works extensively with the IV Legion, providing occult enhancements to their fortifications.
Persaeus: 6th Lord Paladin and Warrior of Light- Mighty and proud, Persaeus fights on battlefields across the Imperium. Eternally seeking the mightiest horrors Chaos possess, he constantly challenges the champions of chaos and breaks them upon his warhammer. Larger than life, both figuratively and literally, he towers over his brothers and even some of the smaller Primarchs. Taking full advantage of his physical prowess, he channels his psychic power into raw strength and destructive force. Countless Daemon Princes and other fiends of the Warp have fallen to him, and many more will.
Jediah: 7th Lord Paladin and Sage-Lord- Similar to O'Seimei, Jediah prefers to use his psychic powers as his tool of choice. Yet unlike his older brother, Jediah prefers to use his spiritual might to fight foes directly, shedding ritual craft for displays of great psychic power. A battle magi beyond mortal skill, he destroys foes with psi-techniques that burns Daemon hoards, raises regiments of fallen heroes, and eradicates massive warp-horrors.
Dolzak: 8th Lord Paladin and Purging Flame- The lastborn Lord Paladin, Dolzak possesses a degree of perptualhood beyond even his brothers. Where his sibling's souls are bound to their crystal heart and will slowly heal as long as their heart is intact, Dolzak can take huge amounts of punishment and regenerate near instantly, using a unique instinctual type of biomancy to feed off the energy of destroyed Daemons to power himself. Wrathful and hotheaded, Dolzak prefers the hellscapes of the Chaos Gates as his area of operation. There, he takes great pleasure butchering his way through hordes of chaotic filth, carving a legend of mankind's vengeance upon the neverborn foolish enough to attract his attention. While preferring to be on the frontlines, Dolzak is also a skilled commander in purge operations, organizing the efficient destruction of entire chaotic civilizations.
History of the Legion
Born on Titan like the Silver Order, the Silver Knights originally consisted of the original founding eight who quickly set to work expanding their numbers with the "Silver" geneseed gifted to them by the Emperor. As such, they along with the Silver Order were absent from the early days of the Great Crusade. Both organizations spent the first twenty years of the Crusade preparing for the inevitable return of Chaos, and trained themselves relentlessly to be prepared for the continuation of the war. When the first batch of Silver Knights trained, they were dispatched in master-crafted Argent vessels to the Imperial Crusader Fleets. Their arrival was neither hidden nor announced. They simply appeared, going about their business at the direction of the Emperor's chosen.
These first Silver Knights were well trained and powerful, yet inexperienced. Relying on the Lord-Paladin's teachings, they were quickly tempered in countless battles across the Great Crusade. Suffering heavy casualties, but never losing a battle. Throughout the Crusade, the Silver Knights traveled from points of Daemonic taint. Although the forces of Chaos were severely weakened throughout most of the Great Crusade, they were still highly dangerous. Multiple chaotic civilizations were encountered by Imperial Fleets, Often requiring entire Brotherhoods of Silver Knights to destroy the most dangerous zones of corruption.
As the crusade continued, the Silver Knights earned honors to match even some Legions. Yet they are far more secretive and less known than any other branch of the Imperial Military. This anonymity has led to them being an open secret discussed in hushed tones by the Imperial Elite and resulted in a semi-mythical reputation. While more often dealing with Daemon Worlds or mass corruption events, the Silver Knights were found on the front lines of multiple macro-conflicts of the Crusade. It is said that entire Fleets were saved by the actions of mere squads of Silver Knights.
These legendary deeds formed the first archive entries upon Titan. These include but are not limited to, disrupting the summoning of Ghargatuloth upon (REDACTED). Cleansing the Damned Craftworld of Zaul'anka. Destroying the Khrave Husk-golem during the Rangda Wars. Assassinating all six Bloodmonger lords of the Charnal Nebula. Stopping the Dreamwalker culling attempt on Nalla-2, and erasing the Memevores from possibility.
Astartes Biology
Appearance- The Silver Knights are abnormally pale for Astartes. They possess skin that ranges from albino white to ashen grey. Their hair that similarly goes from silver to grey. Lacking a single Primarch or recruitment location, the Knights vary in build and facial features. Where some Legions geneseed reforges youths in miniature versions of their Primarch, the Silver Knights keeps most of their traits other than a loss of pigment and silver eyes. Traditionally, the Knights partake in ritual tattooing after important events. These tattoos take the form of metallic runes adorning the Argent Astartes' pale flesh.
Unique Organ- The Ghost Heart. Deep within the Silver Knights fortress on Titan is the Chamber of Rebirth. Here is where the Emperor created the Lord-Paladins. leaving a semi-stable warp-rift that bleeds Anathemic energy which produces a steady buildup of warp-crystal with unique properties. Many Imperial tools and artifacts use these crystals as components. The highest quality shards are claimed by the Silver Knights. These crystals are refined and carved into an exquisite psionic anchor. These are then inserted into the neophyte Astartes' primary heart where it bonds with the muscle tissue and enhances the Silver Knight's psychic abilities. This artifact provides a spiritual core, facilitating the Argent Astartes' soul-calling abilities. It also serves the purpose of protecting the Astartes' soul from summoned spirits while simultaneously acting as a ghost beacon.
Organization
Brotherhoods- The Silver Knights keep a standing force of 10,000 battle-brothers, divided into 40 different 250 man Brotherhoods. Additional support Astartes, commanders, and specialists are not counted towards the 10,000 number. Each brotherhood is trained and equipped to act as an independent strike force that is roughly equivalent to a Legion Chapter. Brotherhoods are deployed on missions and watch duty across the Imperium, operating where needed and only cycling back to Titan for resupply and reinforcement. The Lord-Paladins typically operate with multiple brotherhoods under their command. Each brotherhood has a nickname and honorific related to its achievements.
Recruitment- The cultivation of humanity's psychic potential is the Emperor's ultimate goal. Part of this mission involves the careful control of Psykers through the Adeptus Psi, whose job it is to catalog Psykers and find roles for the Warp-touched. Of these Psykers, some possess a unique attunement to the Astronomicon, displaying abnormal stability and affinity for the Santic Daemonology. The best youths of these beacon-touched psykers are taken to Titan where they are reborn as Silver Knights. At the Order's top secret facility, these recruits undergo harrowing geneforging and psychic training. This process has the highest mortality rate among all Astartes to the point that the low rejection rate of the "Argent" bloodline geneseed barely counterbalances the creation rites' sheer attrition. The Lord-Paladins are not Primarchs, lacking the ability to produce Geneseed beyond their own prognoids, limiting the Silver Knights and forcing them to keep a large supply of Geneseed on Titan to ensure they can replenish. All but the most desprete times a Lord-Paladin is present upon Titan. They oversee the training of all recruits while they are on Titan. Leading to different "schools" of Silver Knights who take after the Lord-Paladin who garrisoned Titan at the time.
Homeworld: Titan- The Silver Knights reside within the Fortress Terminus, where the Sanctorum Citadel of the Silver Order faces out to the Solar System. The Fortress-Complex home to the Silver Knights faces Saturn. This fortress lies under the frosty surface of Titan, stretching for kilometers in every dimension with a starport, fortress, and city of thrice-blessed serfs who operate the fortress making up its top levels. The middle floors contain the Silver Knights' facilities such as their dormitories, training chambers, armories, apothecaries and forge centers. Here, the Silver Knights are created, armed, armored and rest between deployments. An entire colony of Tech-Priests specializing in anti-corruption tech and blessed manufacturing was imported from Mars and crafts the daemon slayers' equipment.
The very deepest layers of Fort Terminus contain the secrets of their martial order. Underneath countless layers of protection both physical and spiritual, archives of forbidden arcane lore and reliquaries holding the most blessed and cursed items held by the Imperium are just the surface. Far below even that is a system of catacombs. Daemons and warp-horrors that fail to die are locked here, secured behind countless wards and guarded by the catacombs' other occupants. Every fallen Silver Knight is buried here as well, their blessed corpses so infused with Anathametic energy that even in death they quell the nightmares. Whispered legends say that when the Imperium faces its darkest hour, when the Dark Cells of Terra and the Bright Cells of Titan are cracked open, when the Gods slowly start to rip down the walls of actuality, the Emperor will call his fallen servants. The dead Knights will answer, and this Legion of the blessed will rise to serve even in death.
Hierarchy and Unique Ranks- The Hierarchy of the Demilegion known as the Silver Knights is unique while similar to the Twenty Legions. It includes a handful of unique positions alongside the more common Techmarines and Apothecaries.
Lord Paladin: The first eight Silver Knights. One is always on Titan, overseeing recruitment. Three more are always deployed at the Three Great Rifts. The final four go wherever they are needed. These roles rotate every few decades or centuries depending on the specific threats and circumstances facing the Imperium of Man.
Master Paladin: Commander of a Brotherhood. Skilled warriors, leaders, and strategists who take missions as they see fit. Master Paladins will often work alongside a Silver Order High-Executor to ensure optimal deployment across the Imperium and ensures that every chaotic infestation is met with overwhelming destructive force.
Paladin Captain: An officer who oversees five squads, or twenty-five battle brothers which comprise the average deployment to an engagement. They also serve to ensure coordination between squads and make on the ground tactical calls.
Champion and Arch-Champion: Champions are specially selected and trained Silver Knights who possess unusually potent psychic and martial prowess. They are given the duty of finding and eliminating high-value targets, often times Daemon Princes, Greater Daemons or Ritual Masters. The quick elimination of these highly dangerous foes often proves the tipping point in battle. Each brotherhood possesses one champion, who often takes apprentices who form his combat squad. When a Champion is slain, the best of his apprentices is elevated by the company's Master Paladin to replace him. The Arch-Champion is a temporary rank enacted in crisis where a single extremely powerful warrior is required. This Arch-Champion is often a Lord-Paladin, but not always. In these crisis situations, the best warrior among available Knights will take the mantle. His battle-brothers will then invest all their psychic energy to empower the Arch-Champion. This often harms the contributing battle-brothers and typically kills the Arch-Champion once the battle is over. The damage is so bad it can take even the Perpetual Lord-Paladins years to fully heal. In exchange, the Arch-Champion can for a short period reach levels of might only matched by the greatest Primarchs.
Grey Sages: Powerful psykers who use their arts in ways not strictly martial. Divination, ritual work and the like are their duties. When on the battlefield they provide powerful supporters of their Battlebrothers. Enhancing them with psi-powers and assisting with tactical descions.
Battle-Magi: Silver Knights who possess a level of stability and power rarely matched. Trained in the use of massive psi-techniques that can change the flow of battle and cause immense devastation. Deployed separately from normal squads in War-choirs that focus their power together in devastating displays of psychic wrath.
Paladin: The standard Knight. Battle-tested and warp-trained, these Argent Astartes outclass their Legion counterparts in many ways. They are deployed in five-man squads and are built to purge the Warp's horrors, calling upon blessed weaponry and armor further enhanced by their considerable psychic powers.
Legion Culture
Personality- Of all the transhuman warriors of the Imperium, the Argent Astartes are renowned for being simultaneously some of the most empathetic and harshest to serve. The culture and psi-genetic imprints of the Silver Knights lend themselves to service and sacrifice. These warriors also have an unwavering desire to protect and serve the human race, displaying compassion and understanding unimaginable in some of their cousins. This aspect of the Argent Astartes also bleeds into their more horrific duties. None understand the evil of Chaos better than them, save the Emperor and his chosen. So when the time comes for the tainted to be purged, the Silver Knights will cut down citizens and civilians without pause, finding peace in the fact that they spare these poor souls more suffering. This compassion is reserved for the innocent, those corrupted by no agency of their own. Those who invite Chaos and serve it willingly are met with cold-hearted doom. The Silver Knights will protect humanity, no matter the cost and are unshakable in their purpose and being. These Astartes will perform acts of heroism and atrocities side by side, all with the same love and desire to keep the species safe.
Customs- Monastic even by Astartes standards, the Silver Knights bury themselves in their duties, following strict rituals of meditation, study, and training of both mind and body. Even so, a few customs mark them out. Most famous are the ritual tattoos found across the Ordo Militant. These tattoos are awarded for accomplishments, yet are more than simple decoration. Created using technology related to Mechanicum Electoos and Librarius focus-hoods, the tattoos help stabilize and channel warp energy through a Knight's very body, enhancing the warrior both physically and spiritually. The patterns vary depending on the specialty and focus of the bearer. Older and more experienced Astartes will possess more of these psi-tattoos and are often covered in a veritable mural of metallic sigils, forming a beautiful pattern that marks the Astartes' story and makes them better warriors.
Ritual has an important role for the Knights, their symbolism and mysticism helping them mentally while also further focusing their psychic power. Battle-Psalms used to synchronize the Astartes are sang on and off the battlefield. It is a hauntingly beautiful sight of a brotherhood marching to war, with hymns of righteous power upon their lips. Similarly, dirges of grief and pain accompany purges and burials. Composed by the Libarius, these songs are meant to channel psychic power and can have unique effects on the listeners, rallying panicked mortals with the Knights courage, or soothing those beyond salvation as they receive the Emperor's peace.
Of all these rituals and practices, few have the importance of burial rites, both for the Silver Knights and their fallen allies and charges. After battles, Silver Knights will often help consecrate burial grounds or markers to the fallen, honoring those lost against Chaos. Silver Knights serve until death, and are buried in the Catacombs of Titan. They will go to great lengths to recover a fallen battle-brother's remains. Even in the most desperate retreat, they will retrieve the honored dead's Ghost Heart for it to be interred. Failure to do is considered a mark of shame upon an Argent Astartes. It is not unheard of for entire Squads to go on redemption hunts for a fallen brother's remains for years after his death.
Unique Features: The Spirit Calling- Psychic powers are the Silver Knight's sword and shield. The arts of the Legion Librarius are widespread, and even the weakest Knight has the skill and power to match an average Legion Librarian, with psychic schools being favored by different Knights for different uses. Biomancy to strengthen frontline warriors, telepathy to improve battlefield communication, telekinesis to defend and pyromancy to attack. When it comes to these arts, the difference between a skilled Librarian and a Silver Paladin is negligible. What makes the Argent Astartes unique goes beyond simple training or even their attunement to the Emperor. The Silver Knights possess a unique and highly powerful branch of psychic power; the Spirit Calling, which is the summoning, control, and channeling of deceased souls.
When a sentient being dies, its soul or warp-connection is disconnected from the material, leaving the energy, memories, and existence of the deceased loose in the warp. Here, they are quickly meet a number of fates. Most are absorbed by something within the Warp, but some souls fall through the cracks, either by resisting their natural fate and becoming loose in the warp, or pulled from that route by a Warp-Predator. Due to this, a vast quantity of unclaimed and damaged souls can be found within the Warp and are almost exclusively in places of Daemonic activity or great pain.
The Ghost Heart organ imbues the Silver Knights' souls with unique properties. Predominantly, the power to sense and manipulate these souls, gathering the unquiet dead to them and using their power to fuel spells, rituals and psychic feats. Such necromancy is possible to most psykers, but quickly drives them insane. Anathemtic energies contained within the Ghost Heart protect the Silver Knights, letting them precisely control exactly how they call spirits and what they do. Additionally, this tiny shard of the Emperor's light can collect the souls worthy to join the Emperor. These become the spiritual familiars of fallen uncorrupted humans who serve a Silver Knight until the Knight's death. When the Silver Knight is buried upon Titan, these saved souls join the Astronomicon and the human oversoul.
This power inspires great respect for mortal life in the Silver Knights, who often see themselves as the guardians of the lost dead. They feel compelled to save those thought missing in the Sea of Souls, and destroy the daemonic predators who disturb the fallen. Powerful Silver Knights can use this power to incredible degrees, such as ripping Daemons apart by freeing the freshly devoured, teasing arcane secrets from the dead, or letting fallen warriors rise once again as spirits to avenge themselves. The Silver Knights, much like their creator, guard both the living and the dead.
Battle Strategy and Equipment
Tactical Doctrine- In all but the most serious occasions, a single Brotherhood of Silver Knights will be deployed into a warzone. Once there, they will disrupt any rituals and destroy Daemonic threats before they can fully manifest. To aid in this endeavor, brotherhoods are split up into squads that each handle a certain target, moving to another once their target has been eliminated. Time and tempo are important when dealing with Daemonic threats, and being able to stop rituals or banish a Daemon before it fully materializes mitigates much damage. As such, the Silver Knights doctrine is one of overwhelming force applied to the most important and arcane points of the enemy. The Silver Knights are not often deployed alone. They will join existing battles and aid the Legions and Auxilia by disrupting the enemies' warpcraft. More strategic strike-missions involving only a brotherhood or even a few squads are not unheard of though, but only occur against a small but powerful Chaotic target. The specialized nature of the Silver Knights makes them highly effective against Chaos, but less so with more mundane foes.
The Five Roles- Each member of a Silver Knight squad plays a singular role in the survival and success of the unit. Together, the five act as a near-perfect tool of daemonic purging, sometimes employing specialized Knights with mechsuit wearing heavy variants and vehicle operating pilot formations. The five roles listed below are:
The Shield- Defensive specialist who uses their psychic powers to defend the rest of the squad. Biomancy, telekinesis and mighty ward-shields aid in this endeavor. Wields a great banish-hammer alongside his ward-shield
The Sword- Offensive specialist who hack through Daemons with incredible martial talent. Arguably the most destructive squad member, but heavily relies on fellow members for protection. Fights with a weapon in both hands: a beautifully crafted banish-blade in one, and a sidearm of choice in the other.
The Destroyer- Wielder of powerful ranged weapons, the Destroyer uses flame, blessed bolt or molten silver as needed. He supports the other squad members and deals with foes who slip past the Sword and Shield. Divination is often practiced to improve accuracy. Pyromancy and Telekinesis are common arts among the Destroyers as well.
The Binder- More psychically active than the first three, the Binder is an expert in ritual craft and Sanctic Daemonlogy. He casts powerful boons and maledictions to help the squad and cripple their foes. Their knowledge of sorcery is used to investigate and effectively combat Chaotic powers. Fights with psychic arts and banish-weapons of ritual power, such as staffs and rods.
The Cleanser- Employer of the less subtle psychic arts, the Cleaner unleashes powerful psychic powers to destroy the foes and burn away corruption, channeling arcane wrath through Force Staffs and bringing doom to the unclean. Trained in apothecary arts, healing with biomancy and medical science.
Weapons and Armor- The Silver Knights are equipped with highly specialized gear, made to be potent tools of banishment and protection against the Warp. Every part of a Silver Knight's arsenal is personalized and master crafted some of the most gifted techpriests in the Imperium in order to support and enhance the skills of that Knight.
Anointed Class Power Armor- A modification to Imperial Standard Power Armor, this suit is crafted with a complicated lattice of psionic wards within its structure. Its ceramite plates are engraved with countless ritual symbols and infused with trace elements of silver. Ultra-high purity silver and iron is inlaid within the Armors internal components, making mere contact with the armor is extremely painful and dangerous for the Neverborn. The helm possess an inbuilt Libarius hood and warp-touched auspex. While the ritual materials used in it decrease its defensive properties compared to standard Astartes Power Armor, its warp-resonant effects and psi-amplifier properties provide unparalleled protection against Chaotic threats. To compensate for this decreased durability, kine shield autocasters are installed into its machine spirit, allowing the armor's wearer to quickly and efficiently erect kine shields.
Banish Alloy Weapons - The so called banish Alloy is a result of centuries worth of alchemy and psience. Its molecular structure is insanely warp resonant. capable of channeling psychic power stably and efficiently, making it a perfect material for force weapons. The base elements of the alloy also lend themselves to fighting Daemons. Silver, iron, sodium, adamantium and a few more exotic substances that are the byproduct of Gellar Fields are key components of the material. Psychic weaponsmiths take this composite metal, and form it into powerful and deadly tools of destruction. Due to the cost of production, Banish Alloy is only used in the highest end melee weapons and is even rarer in equipment.
Silver Bolts- For ranged weapons, the Knights use special Silver Bolts that are mechanically similar to a normal bolt round except for its casing. The high purity silver that make up the exterior and a few internal layers of it are engraved with canticles of doom. Just like a normal bolt round, a gyroject punctures the target before detonating, causing extreme trauma to the target. With a Silver Bolt, the explosion is accompanied by silver shrapnel that simultaneously burns corrupted material and disrupts warp contamination. Multiple varieties of these rounds exist for every conceivable need of an individual knight. Some are marked with gigabytes of ritual binary to cleanse corrupted machine, while others burst the moment they leave the barrel, launching a cannon blast of molten silver.
Fleet and Transport- Each brotherhood travels the galaxy in a trio of strike cruisers which are specifically modified for the duties of the Knights. These Silver Ships accompany the Legions, patrol the Chaos Gates, or simply wander the Milky Way hunting Neverborn threats. Each Lord-Paladin has a flagship they use which vary depending on its owner. Mîkha'El for example, flies his banner upon the demi-legions' single Gloriana class battleship. These vessels come equipped with advanced equipment to aid the Knights in their duties. Foremost among these is the Penitent Compass. A cruel device that uses a captured Daemonhost to predict and locate Chaotic threats. The Daemonhosts' physical body is plugged into a navi-cogitator that reads the waxing and waning of the Daemon within to triangulate where the veil grows thin and Daemonic activity is likely.
Deepstriking into locations where the Warp and Materium overlap can be highly dangerous. To combat this, the Silver Knights use Rapture Pattern Drop Pods. These advanced tools of war blur the line between drop pod and drop ship and are designed to safely transport its passengers from orbit to even Daemon World conditions. The Rapture Pattern is far more heavily armored and armed than any drop pod. It can deploy interceptor drones and Data-Djinns to hinder enemy flak or auspex. While already expensive and difficult to craft, the key component of the Rapture Pattern goes above and beyond. A "partial" gellar field is built into the drop pods core. Lacking a power source, it requires the passengers' psychic abilities to activate, creating a bubble of realspace that allows the Drop Pod to punch through almost any warp based defenses.
While the Silver Knights prefer infantry deepstrike assaults, they maintain a respectable amount of armored vehicles, with most being modified versions of normal Astartes grade tanks and transports. Crewed by Silver Knights who specialize in technomancy, these vehicles are extremely formidable. Unlike nearly all of the Silver Knights arsenal, these craft are not specialized for anti-daemonic activity. Instead, they are meant to transport Silver Knights from hot zone to hot zone, providing covering fire and protection against more mundane foes the deployed Paladins are not meant to deal with.
Trivia
The Silver Knights work extensively alongside the XI and XV Legions. The three all specialize in warp threats. They share a good working relationship and friendly rivalry over which one is the best at their duties.
Some powerful Paladins are known to have fallen battle-brothers as familiar spirits, allowing their closest comrades to serve even in death.
The use of xenos spirits is frowned upon and only to be done when absolutely needed.
Banish Alloy smelting is extremely difficult. Failed batches can be still used to a certain degree as ammunition for Silverthrower Cannons or ritual material for wards.
Dolzak the 8th Lord Paladin has been presumed dead on multiple different occasions, as he is know to sacrifice himself in horrible last stands upon chaos infested worlds. Months to even centuries later, he will wander back into Imperial space. There, he will make contact and resupply before traveling to the nearest Doom-Zone once more.
Chaotic infestation is broken into a few levels. Areas that experience that chaos corruption are referred to as Hot-Zones. The most common classes are listed below
Tainted Zone: Chaos cult activity and rituals underway. Possible possessions, but no fully summoned Daemons.
Corrupted Zone: Daemons can materialize at least partially. The Laws of physics start to bend as warp and material overlap.
Rupture Zone, An active Warp Gate is present. The Warp is flooding into the material. Greater Daemon class threats can manifest fully. The usual level that Silver Knights are called in for.
Doom-Zone, Daemon Worlds, stable warp rifts, and the Realms of Chaos fall into this category. These are places where the Warp supersedes the Material and cannot be fully banished.The Lord-Paladins can only die if their crystal heart is destroyed. No known method of doing so exists.
Effective ways to truly kill Daemons are few and far between. The Silver Knights research this extensively, but are mostly forced to rely on banishment or sealing.
Powerful Silver Order agents can request a Paladin Squad to be loaned to their Shadow Cell.
While every Legion possess an extreme hatred and disgust for religion, the Silver Knights are only rivaled by the XVII Legion for the sheer intensity of their antipathy. Much like the Emperor, the Knights role in the human afterlife is heavily connected to their antipathy.
Some spirits that are bound to the Silver Knights refuse to join with the human oversoul, even once their binding knight dies. Instead, they haunt the Fortress Terminus and offer their expertise and service to battle-brothers they deem worthy
The Silver Order
Adeptus Umbrex- Officio Occulus- Ordo Argenteus
Description: The Silver Order is quite simply the Imperial organization tasked with protecting mankind from Daemonic threats both internal and external. As one of the Orders Metallic they have been given extreme authority and responsibility in combating the Chaos God's influence and servants. Born from the Lunar Crusade and Chaos incursion into the Solar System at the Great Crusade's start, the Silver Order's duties and power are well known across the Imperium. However, the exact details of the Order and its activities are unknown to all but the most trusted servants of the Imperium. Most Imperial citizens think of the War against the Neverborn as some distant thing fought at the Cadian gate or on haunted worlds under the watchful eye of the XI Legion. While these are important fronts in the battle with Chaos, they are not the largest nor most important. The constant insidious corruption of Chaos worming its way into mortal souls at any sign of weakness is the true battle. Which falls to the Silver Order to fight. Across the Imperium the Ordo Argenteus engages in a thousand shadow campaigns of every manner of conflict. Marching to war alongside the Silver Knights, XI, and XV Legion. Playing games of lies, deceit, and entrapment against the corrupted. Traversing Daemon-infested ruins hunting for nightmarish artifacts of infernal power. These are just some of the ways the Silver Order fight to protect mankind. A constant war is hidden from plain sight to preserve the fragile faith humanity has in the Imperium. The threat of Chaos might be known, but the full extent and danger are well hidden. To Imperial citizens, the Neverborn and their Masters, the Primordial Annihilator are just another Xeno threat. A testament to the Silver Order's skill at pushing back the darkness.
Headquarters: The Sanctorum Citadel on Titan. This hive-sized mega structure sprawls above and below Titan's surface. It is home to the colossal infrastructure required to support the galaxy-spanning Silver Order. Housing archives, barracks, training centers, laboratories, artifact vaults, and everything else required by the Silver Order. Its design incorporates occult wards and ritual symbolism. Combined with its ferocious weapon batteries and garrison of dogmatized Solar Auxilia, the Sanctorum Citadel is incredibly well defended. However, half of the Citadel's defenses are pointed inwards. Towards the Bright Cells of Titan. The labyrinth of Arcane wards and defenses winding through Titan's core and connecting to the Fortress Terminus of the Silver Knights. Here the Daemons and accursed artifacts captured by the Imperium are stored away. Entire legions of the foulest Neverborn to haunt the galaxy are locked in the Bright Cells. Each struggling for freedom, fearing the day the Anathema's servants find a way to truly kill them.
Organization: Like the other Orders Mettalic the Silver Order is highly compartmentalized. Divided into Shadow Cells composed of an Imperial Agent and their support staff in the form of operatives. Every Cell answers to an Inspector Lord who coordinates different Shadow Cells and acts as their handlers. Inspector Lords are each accompanied by Astartes of the XI and XX Legion. Inspector Lords are organized into councils that oversee Sectors of Imperial space and other administrative zones. The highest-ranking members of the Order are the High-Executors. Individually selected by the Silver Lord himself, they are entrusted with the darkest secrets and most nightmarish responsibilities. They are mere mortals with the power to burn worlds and exterminate entire peoples. Entrusted with this power they face the ever-present judgment of the Emperor and the Silver Lord. The Silver Lord is the leader of the Ordo Argenteus as one might expect from the grim title. The nature and identity of this mysterious enforcer of the Emperor's will is a secret among secrets. Not even the High-Executors know who or what the Silver Lord is. Each seems to have their own theory. Some think it's another mask worn by Malcador the Sigilite, one or both of the twin Primarchs, a Perpetual of ancient pedigree, maybe even something far more bizarre and borderline heretical,
Tools of Judgement: Two tools at the disposal of the SIlver Order stand out in their potency in combating the Daemon threat. The Silver Knights and the Biblos Anathema. As the Sworn Knights of the Order, the Silver Knights act as a virtually unmatched sword against the corruption. A small army created with the sole purpose of slaying Daemon with silver and flame. Where ever the Knights are to be found the Order is not far. While the Silver Knights provide the power needed to match the Dark God's chosen, it is not enough. The Biblos Anathema is the assembled knowledge of millennia of Exorcists, Warp-Researchers, Daemon Hunters, and the Emperor himself related to fighting Chaos. It contains myriad methods of identifying corruption, a trove of Daemonic True Names, and other lore. It is mankind's answer to the Aeldari Black Library, and its the ambition of Magnus Rubricar and Lord Paladin O'Seimei for the Biblos Anathema to eventually surpass its Xeno equivalent. Aside from these major resources, the Order calls upon the resources of both the Adeptus Terran Mars. In the form of equipment, data, personal and experimental anti-Daemonic materials. The Silver Order has also been involved with the Imperial study of Blackstone, the eldritch warp-reactive substance coveted by many.
Recruitment: Every member of the Silver Order traces their history back to a failure of the Imperium. Despite the great powers of the Legio Astartes, SIlver Order, and League of Black ships, the threat of Chaos still claims a grim toll. Many worlds burn under the wrath of the Dark Gods, leaving broken scraps of mankind in these tragedies' wake. Most go mad, ending their lives or worse falling to Chaos. Some are made of sterner stuff and return the gaze of the abyss. Of these survivors, the greatest are brought to Titan. To be screened, trained, purified, exorcised, and readied for a life of service fighting the dark. Those that survive the training and possess the aptitude to be Agents face one final test. In the Anointing Chamber, a diluted cloned drop of the Emperor's own blood acts as the final judge. Its burns the skin and sears the Silver Order's mark into the initiates forehead. If any hint of corruption or weakness exists within the initiate, the cleansing fire of the Anathema will burn them to ash. Even after centuries of service, the anointed blood leaves a terrible trace. A safeguard against corruption. This doom hangs above all full Agents of the Silver Order, ready to strike them down at any moment of failing. Those that survive all these tests are apprenticed to a senior agent for a quarter-century of service, after which they are granted the Silver Seal of the order and set forth to hunt down the Lost, the Damned, and the Daemon.
White Magik: The nature of the Silver Order's work requires heavy use of Warp Craft. With all the dangers involved with it. Additionally, the Order is also in steady contact with the powerful and unique style of Warp Craft utilized by the Master of Mankind and his closest servants. Naturally the SIlver Order has worked to study this method of Anathemic power. With limited success. While the exact method of how the Imperator and his sons dominate the Warp proves too much for most mortal souls. A discovery was made in studying the Lord Paladins. Agents of the Silver Order can use their connection to the Emperor via his blessed blood as a form of filter and limiter. Allowing the use of more precise and potent Warp Craft, or as some call it "Magik." These discoveries have shown new potential methods of Warp Craft, especially when coupled with the Revelations pried from the Death World of Fenris. New arts to advance Mankinds's ascendency as a Psychic species while keeping back the fell power of Chaos.