Editing Setting:Tiji Sector (section)

==Knight Houses of Tiji==
Valour is superior to numbers. 

'''House Askari''' <br/>
'''Mantra:''' The couched Lance precedes Conquest and Glory<br/>
'''Alignment:''' Imperial House<br/>
'''Colors:''' Red and Silver<br/>
'''Heraldry:''' Stylized calligraphy of the Imperial Aquila.<br/>

The desert world of Kalam shares many traits with its system neighbor Shariah - life is hard, and the Imperial Creed is the focal point of daily life. What it does NOT share is the might of House Askari, the Knights who shepherd the world. Unlike most Knight houses, who prioritize their own traditions, the Knights of House Askari hold only the Imperial Creed close to their hearts, most living as simply as the people they watch, in an ideal called Sunnah, or Practice of Wisdom. Each Faris of House Askari is known to take an active part in Ecclesiarchal services, and is required to march in support of their Iqta if called by the House's Sultan, currently an energetic man named Sharif Al-Khattawi. However, as tradition demands, a majority of the Knights they field are of the common Questoris chassis.

Amongst the desert, the nomadic natives Kalam eke out a simple living, entering the cities and Iqta's of House Askari only for needed supplies and gear that cannot be made themselves.

'''House Excelsus'''<br/>
'''Mantra:''' A Flash of Lightning can Eclipse the Sun<br/>
'''Alignment:''' Imperial House<br/>
'''Colors:''' Each Knight selects his or her own colors<br/>
'''Heraldry:''' A pair of lightning bolts crossing a white circle.<br/>

For those who come to the swampy world of Audax to meet with House Excelsus, the shock of what is seen is almost too much to bear. The headquarters of House Excelsus, Fortress Adtonitus, is surrounded by sprawls and slums called the Borderlands. It is here where ex-soldiers and mercenaries have built a place to live, train, and relax, while savagely competing for the rights to join the ever-growing House Excelsus. 

The organization of House Excelsus is, in polite terms, a loose collection of Freeblades, but those who delve deeper realize its organization mirrors the many hive gangs and rat packs prevalent in the underhives of the civilized worlds of the Imperium. The fact that the Domineus Council, the leaders of House Excelsus, are themselves rumored to be former hivers and guardsmen, only adds to the mystery.

House Excelsus possesses the manufactora, cybernetica, and fleet support needed to maintain its Knight armors and accompanying battle automata cohorts, some archeotech even dating back to the Horus Heresy. With large numbers of the rare Cerastus and Questoris Pattern Knights, House Excelsus has proven itself in a number of crusades and defensive actions in the service of the Imperium, despite its short tenure on the galactic stage.

'''House Kshatra'''<br/>
'''Mantra:''' Swords of the Thousand Aspects of the Emperor<br/>
'''Alignment:''' Imperial House<br/>
'''Colors:''' Blue and Black<br/>
'''Heraldry:''' No unified heraldry, every Knight's banner a woven scene of battle, personal symbolism, and Imperial Aspects.<br/>

Amongst the thick jungle of Paramara, roam the Knights of House Kshatra. Experts in combat within difficult and dangerous terrain, the Knights' preference for fast hit and run strikes lead them to field a higher concentration of Cerastus-pattern knights, rivalled only by House Excelsus. Taking the title of Bhattara upon completion of their trials, each Knight practices the chivalric arts of ranged and melee combat in equal measure. The current Lord of Paramara, the Raja Narayana Murti, leads his house with honor and distinction to the furthest, most dangerous battlefields.

The Imperial citizens of Paramara live deep within the jungles, their stone buildings withstanding the elements and the wildlife, rumbling only when the Knights of House Kshatra march to war.

'''House Pyrus'''<br/>
'''Mantra:''' The Oiled Cog burns brightest<br/>
'''Alignment:''' Mechanicus House<br/>
'''Colors:''' Bronze, Red, and White<br/>
'''Heraldry:''' Geometric arrangement of a fiery cog.<br/>

The twilight world of Salix holds within its mists the Mechanicum aligned House Pyrus, once tied by the Sidon Protocols to the world of Ravenforge. However, with the loss of that world to the forces of Chaos, House Pyrus has found itself isolated and alone, its Board of Magi struggling to acquire the resources and expertise necessary for the maintenance of their Knight chassis, many of the rarer Mechanicum Questoris pattern. The once noble house has been reduced to bargaining for essential supplies after every battle, fraying the Scions' patience and temper.

Already strange reports come from Salix, as the situation gets exceedingly desperate, and the Scions of Pyrus descend upon their own citizenry for the resources they need...