The Knights Panther, formally the Order of the Knights Panther and colloquially often simply called Panthers[27b], are a secular Knightly Order of the Empire dedicated to the eradication of mutants and Chaos worshippers alike, as well as preserving the racial purity of the Empire and protecting the territorial integrity of Sigmar's realm.[7a][9a]
The Knights Panther are among the three largest Knightly Orders of the Empire.[19a]
History
Being amongst the most powerful of the knightly orders within the Empire, this band of knights is well-known throughout the many different cities and Imperial Great Provinces and is considered to be the most famous and celebrated Knightly order within the Empire, with a history dating back to the last years of the Great Crusade Against Araby some 1,000 years ago.
Foundation
The Eye of the Panther, the region of the Atalan Mountains of Araby that gave the Knights Panther their name.
During the Great Crusades against Araby, the most zealous knights pursued the remnants of Sultan Jaffar's armies into the wilderness, where they came under attack from various beasts. Reports tell of vultures of monstrous proportions that would swoop down from the mountain peaks and carry away fully armoured knights and their steeds. Ferocious wild cats would assault stragglers that fell behind and the knights deemed it a great feat of bravery to slay one of these in single-handed combat. They would take the pelts as a trophy and wear it as a cloak.[24a]
The Arabyans came to call their enemies the Knights Panther as a result, due to the pelts they wore. The region of the Atalan Mountains where the Knights Panther had pursued their Arabyan foe became known as the Eye of the Panther.[24a] Others claim that Jaffar's own troops fashioned panther skulls into helmets and wore the hides of exotic beasts as cloaks and that the victorious knights took these as trophies.[30a]
When the knights returned to the Empire, they took several of the outlandish animals with them.[19a] On their return, this band became known to the people of their homeland as the Knights Panther, after the beautiful giant cats they had taken from Al-Haikk.[6a]
The gold during the Great Crusades ensured that all of the Elector Counts formally recognised the new order, against resistance from the religious cults of the Empire who wanted their own templars to remain the only formal orders of knights.[4b] Yet the emperor himself granted the Knights Panther the freedom of the Empire.[4d]
Service to the Empire
Knights Panther charge into battle.
The Knights Panther originally pledged themselves to the defence of Middenland, where they quickly came into conflict with other military organisations, such as the Knights of the White Wolf and the Midden Marshals of Middenheim. In order to prevent further conflicts, the Elector Count of Middenland at the time relocated them to Carroburg.[12b] For reasons unknown, but subject to much speculation, the Knights Panther have always maintained close ties to House Todbringer since even before their ascension as the ruling house of Middenheim.[10a]
Many of the Knights Panther travelled with the furture emperor Magnus the Pious to Kislev to fight in the Great War Against Chaos in 2303 IC. [25a]
In 2515 IC, after the Orc Warlord Azhag the Slaughterer had led his great Waaagh! into the Empire and devastated it for three years, the Knights Panthers under their Grand Master Werner von Kriegstadt met the Greenskin forces at the Battle of Osterwald. When Azhag tried to counter a charge from the knights by entering the fray itself on his Wyvern, he and the essence of the Liche Lord Nagash within the Crown of Sorcery Azhag wore and drew his power from came into conflict, allowing Werner von Kriegstadt to kill him.[20a]
Corruption
"We are the true followers of the Skull God. Unlike our cousins in the wild places, we are not random killers. No, we let others do the killing for us. Each innocent that falls to the hands of our minions brings glory to the Blood God and adds to our temporal strength and influence. Make no mistake, we kill when needed, and our rage and hate is depthless. Blood for the Blood God as always, but let it be the blood of our subjects, our thralls "
- —Dieter Lieden, Cult Acolyte and Knight Panther[12a]
While on campaign in the foothills of the Grey Mountains in 2518 IC, Lieutenant Karl Hoche of the Fifth Reikland Company discovered that a hidden Chaos Cult of Khorne had nested within the Knights Panther company that fought at the side of Duke Heller.[15a] When investigated, half of the company fled, proving their guilt.[15b]
Hoche was sent to Altdorf to investigate further.[15b] When faced with accusations of consorting with Chaos in Altdorf, the knights instead tried to kill Hoche to prevent him from bringing his suspicions to the Sigmarite Order of Witch Hunters and the Untersuchung.[15c]
After the winter, the renegade Knights Panther who had fled returned, now a warband of Chaos Warriors dedicated to the Blood God. Conspiring with Duke Heller and Lord Protector Thaddeus Gamow, themselves Chaos Cultists of the Blood God, they sought to recreate the massacre at Castle Lössnitz in the Forest of Shadows.[15d] The ritual was thwarted by Karl Hoche, now a cursed mutant, yet still dedicated to serving Sigmar's empire.[15e]
End Times
At the siege of Altdorf during the End Times, the Knights Panther fought with one regiment of the Knights of the Inner Circle and two regiments of Demigryph Knights.[21a] These troops engaged the Dragon Ogres that assaulted the city from the north.[21b]
Storm of Chaos
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Attention, Empire Citizens!
This article or this section of the article contains information regarding the Storm of Chaos campaign and its aftermath, which is now considered a non-canon, alternate timeline.
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Legions of the Knights Panther amassed against the foes of the Empire.
In the alternate timeline of the Storm of Chaos, where the thirteenth Everchosen Archaon's attempt to bring on the End Times with a great Chaos incursion was actually defeated by the defenders of the Old World, the warrior-priest of Sigmar Luthor Huss led his pilgrimage to find the reborn Sigmar in the wake of the Twin Tailed Comet's arrival in the skies of the mortal world.[16a]
A regiment of Knights Panther sought to arrest Huss at Rottfurt, reinforced by members of the Sigmarite Templar Witch Hunters. They sought not only to capture Huss, but also the mutant Karl Hoche, who had joined Huss' army as a pilgrim. Huss and his followers managed to escape.[16a]
As the armies of the Everchosen pressed on into the Old World, Kaspar von Velten was appointed the Imperial ambassador to Kislev. He was accompanied by a large contingent of Knights Panther under the command of Kurt Bremen.[17a] These knights also fought at the Battle at Urszebya, winning a great battle against the forces of Chaos. Kurt Bremen himself struck down Aelfric Cyenwulf, High Zar of the Kurgan and leader of the Chaos host.[18a]
On the 22nd day of the invasion later called by its survivors the "Storm of Chaos," a sortie by the Knights Panther smashed the vanguard of Cyspeth, Chaos Champion of Tzeentch, as it marched through the Middle Mountains from the Nordbergbruche to Brass Keep. The Knights Panther had managed to take the fortress and made it into a bulwark against the armies of Chaos, led by Grand Master Kohlspier.[28]
The knights held the fortress for a week, until Cyspeth filled the moat with the corpses of the fallen to push through to the gate. Thousands of Human and inhuman attackers threw themselves at its impervious walls in the hope of gaining some purchase that could be later exploited. In the end, the Knights Panther retreated after the Skaven allies of Cyspeth detonated a bomb beneath the outer walls and the garrison was barricaded inside the keep itself. The fortress fell after another week of vicious fighting, when the Skaven tunnelled into the interior of the fortress and the Chaos army initiated a large assault from underground, overland and even from the air.[28]
During Archaon's siege of Middenheim, the Knights Panther defended the city's eastern causeway and later joined in the final battle at Sokh.[28]
In the aftermath of Archaon's failed attempt to take Middenheim, the Knights Panther joined Graf Boris Todbringer in rooting out Beastmen and mutants from the countryside of Middenland, leaving most of their chapterhouses empty.[14a]
A sect of witch hunters, now reformed under the leadership of the Grand Theogonist Volkmar the Grim of the Cult of Sigmar who had uncovered the corruption of the knights' higher ranks, made public his discovery that the Knights Panther had been infiltrated by Chaos Cultists. The Knights Panther were cast into shame and suspicion, something they contend with still.[12c] The previous grand master stepped down and Heinrich von Torlichhelm succeeded him.[3a]
To prove their loyalty in the wake of such scandal, the Knights Panther became fanatic hunters of mutants and Beastmen, committed to achieving racial purity in the Empire, slaughtering any they suspected of the slightest Chaos corruption.[12c] Due to the prior revelation of Chaos corruption in their own ranks, the Knights Panther are frequently accused by the Knights of the White Wolf of granting mercy to mutants and cultists, which only spurs them to greater violence and fanaticism.[3a]
The Knights Panther fought at the Battle of Turgitz Cauldron in the Drakwald against a large Beastmen warherd under the command of Beastlord Raghram.[31a]
Culture
Arms and heraldry of the Order of Knights Panther. The exotically attired Order of the Knights Panther is a secular order dedicated to ensuring the well-being of the Empire. These nobles see themselves as protectors of the lands, peoples and interests of their beloved nation and they strive to rise above the political machinations of individual provinces or city-states. Arrayed in distinctive furs of the great hunting cats from the southern lands the Knights Panther clad themselves in plate armour of silver and gold and charge into battle astride horses with distinctive gold and blue barding.
The Knights Panther are distinguished from other knights by their tall helmet crests topped by the image of a Beastman head, a new tradition that replaced the sigil of the Panther some few years ago.[14b] This is a change from the spotted great cat crest of their past, though they retain that distinctive pattern in their saddle cloths and cloaks where-ever possible.[3a] These knights would often wear plate armour of dark blue and silver, the traditional standard colour scheme of their order.
The Knights Panther clad themselves in plate armour of silver and gold and charge into battle astride horses with distinctive gold and blue barding.[2a]
Unlike their brother Knights of the White Wolf, the Order of the Knights Panther is a secular brotherhood dedicated to the overall good of the Empire of Man, rather than just servicing the agenda of a single god like Ulric. These knights see themselves as protectors of the people and their lands; they strive to rise above the political machinations of individual Imperial provinces or city-states, and to provide for the greater good of the Empire as a whole.[2a] Whilst they are a secular order rather than one formally attached to the Cult of Sigmar, their cause is clearly modelled on that of the God-King.[10b]
Due to their reputation, the Knights Panther also have close ties to the Order of Sigmar, the most powerful organisation of witch hunters in the Empire. It is not uncommon for the Knights Panther to serve one or more witch hunters of this order in tracking down and capturing a particularly elusive mutant.[12c]
The panther device of the Knights Panther's heraldry symbolises courage and resilience.[4f] Chapter houses have scrollwork slogans inscribed in the ancient Classical tongue above their entrances. Typical slogans are short statements like Regis Pantera, or Pantera Deus.[3a]
Heraldry of the Knights Panther
The Knights Panther mount more foreign expeditions than other orders. At any time there may be regiments of Knights Panther allying with the Men and Dwarfs of the Border Princes, Estalia, Kislev, Tilea and Araby.[6a]
Though the Great Crusades against Araby ended long ago, the Knights Panther still carry their lances against the despotic lords of the south wherever they can. Such fanaticism is not unusual in Imperial knightly orders, though most choose to battle a foe somewhat closer to home.[8a]
In the past century, two separate Imperial decrees have been issued, commanding the Knights Panther to desist in their assaults on Araby, yet both times these commands were rescinded -- the Imperial court preferring to offend a distant foreign nation rather than alienating such a powerful domestic martial force.[8a] Even today, the Arabyans of the Atalan Mountains whisper tales of the silver-skinned warriors who adorned themselves with the skins of great cats, agents of vengeance and justice.[4d]
Initiation
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A Knight Panther
Almost every petitioner to the Knights Panther comes from the Imperial nobility. However, commoners are sometimes accepted into the order when they have displayed "nobility of spirit" and truly remarkable combat prowess. The Knights Panther take more squires than any other order, but they still require sponsorship by a First Knight or member of the order's Inner Circle. There is an unspoken agreement to refuse petitioners with a strong devotion to a single god or partisan support for a specific Electoral Province.[6a]
Admission to the Knights Panther chapter in Middenheim is a signal honour accorded to those who have performed some exceptional service for the Elector Count of the city-state.[10a]
Before their initiation into the order, squires must hunt down and singlehandedly kill a mountain or forest cat. They must place the pelt beneath their saddle to become full members of the order. [6a]
Rule of the Order
"I swear before Sigmar and Ulric, and in the witness of this company here gathered, to serve the ancient and noble Order of the Knights Panther truly and faithfully unto death, observing the Laws of the Order: to serve and protect Graf Boris Todbringer, his family, his legitimate successors and his appointed officers with my life; to render full and unquestioning service to my superiors in the Order and to those they appoint over me; never to suffer any person or thing bearing the Mark of Chaos to live while there is breath in my body. The Order has my oath, which only death may break. Let all here present bear witness."
- —Oath of the Knights Panther of Middenheim.[5a]
A Knight Panther in full plate armour.
All members of the Knights Panther are expected to adhere to four strictures.
- Never suffer a bearer of the Mark of Chaos to live.[6a]
- Render full and appropriate service to your superiors.[6a]
- Remain true and loyal to the Order's allies.[6a]
At certain times and places, these oaths have been modified to reflect a particular circumstance, the most notorious contemporary example being the particular (and peculiar) bond of mutual support the Knights Panther chapter based in Middenheim shares with the ruling House Todbringer.[6a]
Tactics
A Knight Panther with the traditional pelt that symbolises the order.
Knights Panther employ classic shock cavalry tactics, charging in, then fighting with sword and shield to overcome their enemy. They are renowned for impeccable manoeuvres, each regiment and squadron moving as one. Although accomplished fighters, they are reluctant to fight on foot.[6a] Members prefer traditional weapons and armour.[1a]
Demigryph Knight of the Knights Panther
The warhorses of the Knights Panther have a blood-lineage to the fabled steeds of Araby, making them particularly deadly.[24b] The Demigryph Knights among the Knights Panther fight with heavy cavalry halberds called "demi-talons," although more traditional members still prefer lances.[29a]
Some regiments and squadrons of the order adopt names and tactics peculiar to themselves -- examples include the "Bared Fang Regiment," who are known for fighting with escalating zeal, the "Panther's Claw Squadron" who fight bravely alongside Dwarfs, and the "Savage Cats" who use their lances to keep flying enemies at bay.[6a]
Organisation
Banner of the Order of the Knights Panther
The Knights Panther are headquartered in a stout fortress built in the modern style, just a few miles from the city of Carroburg. From here, the grand master oversees a dozen or more chapter houses scattered mainly across Reikland and Middenland. [3a]
By the 23rd century IC, the Knights Panther had chapter houses in all the major Electoral Provinces of the divided and fractious Empire of the Dark Ages.[26a]
The banquet halls of the Knights Panther's chapter houses are adorned with the helms of its members from generation to generation. Since the order dates as far back as the Great Crusades to Araby in the 15th century IC, many of the panther head coverings on these memorial helms have been turned to leather in order to preserve its quality for later generations.[3a]
Each chapter house of the order also mounts a splendidly crafted standard behind the head of its banquet table. The order's magical battle standard is kept by the headquarters chapter house in Carroburg, but any chapter may requisition it for conflicts against powerful Chaos Sorcerers.[3a]
In Middenland, Knights Panther and the Knights of the White Wolf are stationed in the townships surrounding the capital of Middenheim in rotating shifts.[27a]
The Knights Panthers are among the richest knightly orders in the Old World. [4c]
Related Orders
- Knights Griffon - The Knights Griffon were founded in 2305 IC by Emperor Magnus the Pious from 100 of the most devout Knights Panther to create a new templar order for the Cult of Sigmar. While they have become independent of the Knights Panther, the Knights Griffon have retained many of the traditions of their parent order.[4e]
- Knights Jaguar - The Knights Jaguar, a sister order to the Knights Panther, was also founded during the Great Crusades Against Araby. [24a]
Notable Chapter Houses
- Fort Tarielshof - Fort Tarielshof is located outside Carroburg. This chapter house serves as the headquarters of the order's grand master and thus of the order itself. [3a]
- Talabheim Chapter House - The Knights Panther chapter house in Talabheim is the second largest chapter house of the order. It was commanded by Werner von Kriegstadt during Waaagh! Azhag. The knights of this chaper house are mistrusted by most of the population of Talabheim due to the strong ties of the order to Middenland, Talabecland's rival, despite the order's claims of neutrality in the disuptes between the Empire's Electoral Provinces.[8a]
- Magnam Odenhaus Pantera - This is the third largest Knights Panther chapter house.[3a][6a] It is integrated into the Middenpalaz in Middenheim due to the chapter's close connection and loyalty to House Todbringer.[10b]
- Altdorf Chapter House – The Knights Panther's chapter house in the Imperial capital of Altdorf is comparatively modest compared to the three major chapter houses of the order in the Empire, although its knights are more focused on Imperial politics. This chapter house is located in the Hammerpfad district of Altdorf under the command of Hermann Röntgen.[9b]
- Auld Odenhaus Pantera – This small but ancient chapter house was founded in the Reikland town of Ubersreik in 1589 IC. It does not maintain a permanent garrison of knights and is primarily controlled by its chamberlain, Adella Markel. [11a]
- Castle Middenstag - This fortress lies in the Howling Hills, in the western stretch known as the Räuberthal. It defends the Delberz-Hergig Road.[12d][32a]
Notable Knights Panther
- Werner von Kriegstadt - Von Kriegstadt was the grand master of the order during the events of Waaagh! Azhag.
- Karl-Rikard Goellner - Goellner was the second grand master of the Knights Panther who commanded the order in ca. 1556 IC.[4a]
- Sechse – Sechse was the grand master of the order during the joint victory with the Knights of the White Wolf over Thialfi Swiftaxe in 2198 IC.[23a]
- Gerhard von Sleivor - Von Sleivor was the last grand master of the Knights Panther and led the order during the End Times.[22a]
Miniatures
Canon Conflict
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition lore states that Torlichheim served as the grand master of the Knights Panther following the revelation of Chaos corruption within the order just before the start of the Storm of Chaos that caused the previous grand master to step down. However, in the lore presented on the Knights Panther in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition, Torlichheim held the office before this happened.
Sources
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