Liber Challenge: Order of the Unbroken Crown

[Lysimachus]

Index Sororitas: Order of the Unbroken Crown



Origins: Created in the latter days of M.37, the Order of the Unbroken Crown was the result of a prophetic vision dreamed by the infamous Cardinal Sedemio of the Kharidys Sector. The Cardinal declared that he had seen a great danger to the Emperor's realm one day emerging from the nearby Solios Nebula, but also saw a circlet of light that banded the edge of the nebula and protected the Imperium. This crown had a single point that fell on the otherwise unimportant world Viorda Secundus.

Sedemio petitioned the Ecclesiarch - who was, incidentally, his half-brother - that the Adeptus Ministorium must take a stand to save the worlds around the Solios Nebula by decreeing the foundation of a new Lesser Order of their militant arm, the Adepta Sororitas. A Mission of more than eight hundred Sisters of Battle hailing from the Order of the Argent Shroud and led by the decorated Canoness Preceptor Felicia Agara was dispatched to Viorda Secundus. A great Convent House was built in the mountain wastelands beyond Viorda's single Hive. The people of the Hive welcomed the Sisterhood with open arms and the noble families of the world eagerly agreed that they would care for the Order's few material needs.

Palatine Agnatha Ferrina

Palatine Ferrina is the current commander of the Order of the Unbroken Crown. More than a hundred years of thankless duty, combined with the ungrateful spite of the people of Viorda Secundus, have made a once devout warrior into a mordant and waspish old woman. Ferrina has become cold and self-serving, caring more for preserving the sanctity of her quiet cell than for protecting the worlds of the Imperium. Rumours even abound in the lower Hive of Viorda that the Palatine has made pacts with the forces operating out of the Nebula, supplying them with materiel taken from the Order's own stockpiles. Whispers from various sources claim seeing shipments of weapons, bolt ammunition and even power armour components leaving Viorda Secundus, though what possible use simple renegades could have for such high-tech armaments is unclear.

Later History: The initial years of the Order's vigil were marked by success as Preceptor Agara led assault after assault into the Solios Nebula, destroying countless fledgling bands of pirates. But as decades and centuries passed, the threat posed by the Nebula seemed to lessen and the fear of the fulfilment of Sedemio's vision waned.

Over the next two millennia, as the Order's purpose was gradually marginalised and forgotten, the people of Viorda Secundus began to view the Sisterhood with less and less favour. Their watchfulness and dedication came to be seen as indolence and cowardice. Their requests for supplies, though met in full, were eventually accompanied by thinly veiled insults to the honour of the Order. At the same time, as other battlefronts and worlds required the might of the Adepta Sororitas, the strength of the Order was eaten away as units and Missions were reassigned. Though the millennia-old decree of Cardinal Sedemio could never be entirely undone, the most fervent of the Unbroken Crown became more and more eager for orders that sent them away from the Solios Nebula. Those that remained were inevitably those content in their bitter solitude and needless watchfulness.

In the time of the present Imperium, the Order of the Unbroken Crown is poorly named. A shadow of their former glory, the Sisters have no power to fulfil the purpose for which they were created, their numbers eroded to barely more than a half dozen squads. Even though in recent decades the Solios Nebula has once again become the haunt of pirates and renegades, the Order is rumoured to have neither the ability or the inclination to act against them.

Combat Doctrine: There is typically little that will rouse the Sisters of the Order to leave the quietude of their Convent House and go to war. However, if forced to act in order to protect their own interests, they are fierce and canny fighters. The Order usually operates as blocks of infantry, some of their number mounted in Rhinos or Immolators. These units are commonly armed, as one would expect, with the Sisterhood's trinity of bolter, melta and flamer. While the Order is famed for its bright, fiery colours, it is not uncommon for squads to hide these beneath obscuring mud, soot or cameoline.

The Unbroken Crown uses few of the more complex war machines available to the Adepta Sororitas, such as Exorcists, though this is more likely due to a simple lack of maintenance rather than any idealogical issues. Sisters Repentia - and thereby Penitent Engines - are also very unusual, as the Order's tolerance for impious behaviour appears to be far higher than that found in an average Convent. When Battle Sisters are punished in this way, it is often less a matter of their having failed the God Emperor and more a question of having crossed their immediate superiors.

Homeworld: Viorda Secundus is a minor world in the Kharidys Sector. A poor planet when compared with its important sister world, Viorda Prime, it is a barren waste with an atmosphere barely thick enough to support human life. Its people live in countless scattered townships and mining settlements, ruled from the only major conurbation, the Hive where the Planetary Governor holds court. Most have little in a material sense and it is therefore understandable that they have come to resent the tithe required by the Unbroken Crown.

Once, three hundred years prior to the present day, the rulers of the noble Houses of Viorda refused the Sisters their 'rightful' tribute. The Order's response was as swift as it was brutal, first quietly bringing the majority of their squads within the Hive's walls and then assaulting the private residence of one of the Noble Houses. The palace and all its occupants, whether highborn or commoner, were torched to death in the fires caused by Flamers and Meltas. In a matter of hours, transports carrying foodstuffs, fuel and other supplies were rolling across the empty plains to the Sororitas Convent House.

Battle Cry: The Adepta Sororitas are famous for going into battle singing loud praises and waving great banners proclaiming the glories of Mankind. The Order of the Unbroken Crown is far more pragmatic, slipping quietly into position until they are ready to unleash the thunder of their boltguns. Edited September 9, 2021 by Lysimachus

[Aqui]

Unusual to see an Order that is far from the usually diligence and fervour typical to Sisters

[Conn Eremon]

Not every tale to tell ends in glory, and in this setting there are more that don't than do. I like it, it's well done.

 

You know, if Olis' Order also has a combination of grey armor w/ green cloth, people might suspect us of conspiracy.

[Lysimachus]

Thanks guys! The fluff stems from the fact that when I was building my Iron Gods the old plastic sisters rumour had raised its head (again) and I wanted to come up with a way to ally my pirates with some Sisters. Hence the idea that these weren't 'model' Sororitas!

 

As to the colours, I've just seen Conn's scheme and that's insane! How likely is it that we should all independently come up with such similar colours? I'm gonna change mine up, maybe darken the grey right down to a charcoal/near black, maybe change the cloth colour too?

 

Edit: Colours changed, went for a royal blue, figured it'd be a nice contrast with their true nature!

Edited March 23, 2015 by LySiMachus

[*Furyou Miko]

Oddly enough, my Sacred Tome look like this too, although that's not the order I'm working on for this.

[Lysimachus]

Ha, seems I can't turn around without copying someone else's scheme! Here we go, hopefully the latest one should be more unique, a Celebrants-inspired fade up from ice blue to navy blue! Edited March 25, 2015 by LySiMachus

[*Furyou Miko]

Oh, I wasn't objecting, just commenting. I stole my colour scheme from the Thousand Sons, after all.

[Lysimachus]

No worries Miko! I do try to make schemes as unique as possible, with SM Chapters it's not always doable but for an Order I've not really got an excuse!

[Lysimachus]

Few more bits added, trying to push this up to the 1k words limit so I can submit it to the Tabula Sororitas (unless we get plastic Sisters, it's the only way I'll fulfil one of the Tabula requirements!) so if anyone has any ideas for another hundred words or so...?

 

Edit: never mind, thought of a bit more to take it up to the 1k mark... C+C is still very welcome though!

Edited April 5, 2015 by LySiMachus

[Ace Debonair]

I'm digging it - it's not often you see bitter, isolationist, possible smugglers in the role of holy warriors.

 

Cool stuff, for definite.

[Lysimachus]

Thanks Ace! I'm thinking that when I finally get around to writing up my next Iron Gods story, it will feature Talek Varn's first meeting with Palatine Ferrina!

 

Anyway, added some more so should be ok for the Tabula!

 

Edit: As an aside, I'm considering changing the colour scheme (again!), keeping the fade from dark down to light but going from a charcoal grey down through crimson to a fiery orange, just thinking it would look more Sister-y? Any thoughts?

 

 

Edit edit: Went for the fiery fade, love the Celebrants and to my mind it fits well for SoB!

Edited April 12, 2015 by LySiMachus

[Ace Debonair]

Apologies for the late reply - the new colours are definitely awesome.