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Archivist's Note: My Lord Commander, here I present all that can be gleaned about the Knight Tyrant recently sighted in the Ralathon sector. May my work please the Emperor and my labours advance the cause of Humanity.
Little is known of the origins of the Freeblade Knight Valiant that came to be known as the White Queen. Based solely upon its appearance in certain histories dating back as far as M29 and the fact that many early sightings place it in the galactic south-east of the Ultima Segmentum, some scholars have postulated that the Freeblade was originally a member of House Raven, but the Knights of that ancient House flatly deny any such kinship and have indeed fought several duels to prove the point.
A highly-degraded vox-recording of the White Queen's only known pilot, Lady Isadora D'Argent, suggests that she left her House after a fundamental disagreement over the nature of honour. From what can be gleaned from the static-marred account, the force of Knights to which the White Queen was attached was engaged in a crusade against an unknown Xenos enemy, which from what little records remain is variously believed to be Orks, Drukhari or possibly even Hrud. Whichever is the case, what is known for certain is that the Xenos were engaged in a campaign of raiding and conquest in which they frequently attacked the same Imperial worlds repeatedly.
Archivist's Note: Intriguingly, the Codex Gammorantis of c.M30 records a campaign in the Ultima Segmentum waged by Titans of the Legio Metalica against an Ork Waaaagh led by the infamous Arch-Krumpa of Karak VI. Elements of the 3rd Legion and 2nd Legion were also recorded as being present, and both Legions are also mentioned in Isadora's account. As vassals of the Legio Metalica, House Raven would almost certainly also have been involved though the Codex does not mention them specifically.
Per Isadora's account, the Lord in charge of the Household forces, faced with an elusive enemy, chose to concentrate his or her forces in a single Lance, allowing them to overwhelm the local Xenos with some ease and minimal risk. Such tactics, however, left many worlds, or even individual settlements on worlds on which the Knights were operating, effectively defenceless. Frequently the Knights would return from a successful engagement only to find that the site of their previous victory had been devastated by a subsequent attack in their absence.
Archivist's Note: Such tactical acumen seems unlikely from Ork forces, but the Codex Gammorantis contains several heavily-redacted stanzas that suggest, when restored through psycho-cryptography, that the Ork Warlord was of the Blood Axe clan, notorious for treachery and low cunning.
Eventually, Lady Isadora would stand for no more, and refused to leave the next world the Household protected, swearing instead to defend it until nothing lived or breathed upon its soil. Despite the fact that most Houses would punish such insubordination with execution it appears that enough of her fellows sympathised with Isadora's position that she was allowed to secede from the House. Shortly afterwards, the first accounts of a Knight Valiant bearing pure white and gold armour begin to appear in official records.
In many ways, the conduct of the White Queen has remained consistent to this day. The Freeblade would arrive on a world threatened by Xenos, and stoically defend the most populous and vital settlements until either the aliens were exterminated, or no living Imperial citizens remained to protect. Even throughout the Heresy, the Knight is recorded as taking no side, instead preferring to repel opportunistic Xenos raiders, though both the World Eaters and Space Wolves Legions had cause to regret attempting to purge civilians believed to be favouring their enemies who had come under the White Queen's protection.
The destruction of a small Space Wolves strike-force was enough to see the White Queen declared Excommunicate Traitoris, but even so the Knight's valour and zeal in its battle against the Xenos meant that few local Imperial Commanders had any great desire to see the Freeblade brought low. Even now, despite bearing the iconography of the Ruinous Powers, the White Queen has defended several worlds from the forces of the Great Enemy with every bit as much determination as in its other campaigns. What has changed, however, appears to be the motive for its actions.
It is without question that initially, the White Queen defended the weak simply out of a sense of honour and obligation. But each victory brought with it the adulation of hundreds of thousands of people, eager to give praise to their saviour, strewing the path before the Knight with fresh-cut flowers and singing hymns of gratitude in its wake. At some point, the hymns ceased to give thanks to the Emperor (Archivist's Note: Blessed Be His Name) and began instead to be dedicated to the White Queen directly.
On worlds that the Freeblade saves, dedication to the Imperial Creed is gradually replaced with deification of a new god, clad in white and gold and bringing ruin to its enemies. Eventually, invariably, the populace think of nothing more than their adulation for their saviour. All industry ceases save for that required to maintain its mighty form. All art ceases save for that which beautifies its flawless hull, and all speech save for that which praises its name. Within the space of a generation, entire planetary populations have died out as the necessary rhythms of life itself are supplanted by subservience. And finally, when there are none left to defend, the White Queen moves on.
Even so, there remains little appetite for punitive action against the Dreadblade, as the Ordo Hereticus now class the Knight. Hard-pressed sector commands hear of a sighting, and know that a world is defended- and that, eventually, the empty cities can be filled with new workers once the White Queen has moved on. It remains unclear whether Isadora, or whatever still pilots her Knight, is even aware of her fall from the Emperor's Light or if it would care if it were.
Archivists Note: I have since studied the pict-captures of the so-called Dreadblade engaged in action against the perfidious Aeldari foe. It presents the most perfect picture of human valour this unworthy scribe can possibly imagine, and I humbly recommend we take no action against it at this time.
Praise Her Name.
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