Knights of the Forge

The Knights of the Forge are a special formation found among the Obsidian Wyrms' veterans and being part of one of these squads is an honor comparable to that of being a part of a Terminator squad. Suqads of Knights of the Forge are found primarily in the elite 1st Battalion but are also represented in the Veteran Companies consisting the core of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, the standard organization template. These squads are led by a sergeant titled "Lordknight" and are optimally composed of 10 battle-brothers or sisters and are most defined by the wargear they use.

The Obsidian Wyrms being a successor Chapter of the Salamanders, they continue the progenitor's tradition of each Astarte being taught and expected to maintain their own wargear, making an at least decent understanding of maintenance and Mechanicum precept being widespread. This emphasis on proper handling of Wargear incites individual marines to not only maintain but also fine-tune and hone their equipment under the counsel of the more experienced Techmarines. Long-lived veterans will then naturally have spent centuries carefully perfecting their weapons and armors, leading to the high quantity of artificer armor and high-craft weapons of all kinds.

A typical Knight of the Forge always possess personal artificer armor which must strictly be of their own facture. The selection of wargear varies more as any type of weapon from the proven chainsword to the rare plasma guns are cceptable; it is not the type of weapon being crafted that matters but the amount of effort and ability put into the weapon itself. Knights may focus on a single type or piece of wargear or possess multiple weapons, which results in squads of Knights being equipped with a wide range of non-standard configurations. It is not uncommon to see "Tactical" Knight Squads bearing primary weapons, heavy weapons and melee weapons in a single high-flexibility squad expected to engage a vast range of foes and battlefield situations. Other squads may focus on a single purpose and bring it to bear with great precision and efficacy.