Order of the Celestial Maidens

[Ezr91aeL]

 ORDER OF THE CELESTIAL MAIDENS 

 

 

Symbol of the Order of the Celestial Maidens

 

SUMMARY

• Members: 2953 sisters of battle, plus a half million of external members.

• Head Quarter: Strike Cruiser Faithful's Revengeance

• Leader: Canoness Superior Janexielle Sammarias

• Fleet:

  • 1 Strike Cruiser

  • 3 Punisher class Cruiser

  • 3 Gladius class Frigate

  • 4 Sword class Frigate

  • 8 Cobra class Corvette 

• Symbol: two head griffon

• Colors: black armor and yellow vests

 

Sororitas Power Armor in the colors of the Order of the Celestial Maidens

 

 

IMPORTANT EVENTS

• 279.M40: Cardinal Daclas Zacharial founds the Order of the Celestial Maidens

• 281.M40: The Silvan Crusade starts.

• 335.M40: The Silvan Crusade ends. Canoness Superior Giudia change color of the order armour from silver to black as symbol of atonement.

• 335.M40: Saint Lillian martyrs herself to protect the body of Cardinal Zacharias from the Chaos tainted crew of the ship that was transporting it.

• 347.M40: The Abby of the Imperial Griffon is erected on the fortress world of Ultima II, to support the defenses against the chaos incursion from the Excruciating Whine.

• 112.M41: Under the command of the Hereticus Inquisitor Kaiser Korv and the Xeno Inquisitor Samaela Lissand, the order purge the White Fists chapter. Several Space Marines are able to escape in the Excruciating Whine, only the 7th Company and part of the 10th is considered extraneous to the sins of the chapter, giving them the possibility to continue to serve the Emperor.

• 788.M41: Janexielle Sammarias became Canoness Superior. She is still the supreme commander of the order

 

 

Faithful's Reveangence, the flagship of the order's fleet

 

 

HISTORY

 

In the year 279.M40 Lord Militant Perseo Silvanus recived by the Senatorum Imperialis the order to command a crusade to take the Reliq Expanse. The Reliq Expanse once was an imperial sector gone lost during the Age of Apostasy: for this reason the Ecclesiarchy considered this crusade as chance to atone its mistakes therefore, in the same year, the Cardinal Daclas Zacharial, close friend of Silvanus and his polical ally, declared the foundation of a new militant order of the Adepta Sororitas. Twenty-three missions from the Orders of Argent Shroud and Valorous Heart were chosen but these were not the only sisters to be assigned to the new order: several sisters from these and other order asked to join the crusade. In addition to this three Punisher class cruiser were given to the order: the Eye of the Emperor, the Flame of the Righterous and the Purgatrix.

The 683.279.M40 Daclas Zacharial speaked in front of all the 1822 sisters, on the main deck of the Eye of the Emperor. He declared Kairine Giudia Canoness Superior, donating her a magnificent Eviscerator, and formalizing the creation of a new militant order: the Order of the Celestial Maidens.

 

The crusade, known by the name of the supreme commander as “Silvan Crusade”, started officially three years later and The Order of the Celestial Maidens proved itself crucial: only one chapter of Space Marines joined the crusade, the White Fists, and the words of the Reliq Expanse were infested by Chaos worshipers and xeno civilization. Therefore, when an elite force was required, when it was necessary to attack behind the enemy lines with speed and precision, the Celestial Maidens were deployed. They used their Aquila Landers and Dominica Pattern Drop Pods to rapidly descend from the sky and purge vital points of the enemy defenses.

After 54 years the Silvan Crusade ended. In 647.335.M40, during the Battle of Dravas, both the Cardinal Zacharial and Lord Militant Silvanus were slained. That did not stop the imperial forces to win the battle and conquer the planet, but stopped the conquest of the sector. With three of the four subsector under the imperial power, the supreme commander dead and a dangerous warp storm known as the Excruciating Whine, it was decided that it was wiser to stop the war and to begin to consolidate the conquered.

That was not taken well by many and Canoness Superior Kairine Giudia was one of them. She showed up in front of ther fellow sisters with the silver plates of her power armor in her hands. She throwed them in a big vessel, covered them with promethium and gived them to the flames. When the fire was dormant she showed them to the other sisters and shouded:

 

“Our Crusade has faded.

We failed to bring back what was of the God-Emperor himself, leaving it in the hands of the xeno, of the heretic and of the witch.

We cannot call ourself His servants anymore, so we must purge ourselves.

Our armor will be black, as symbol of our atonement until the last of the worlds of this sector will be taken back under the Holy Imperium of Mankind.”

 

Then with a movement of her hand she removed some of the cinder over the plate, making resurface the shining silver of the cuirass

 

"But my fellow sisters!

Do not forget that is only matter of time.

One day the crusade wil reborn from its cinders and then we will shine again as angels of the Emperor!

We will still serve! Even if we are penetents!

In the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind!"

 

Since that day the armor of the order was not silver anymore, but black.

 

 

TRADITIONS AND BATTLE TACTICS

 

The Order of the Celestial Maidens is a fleet based order. Every ship is considered as an abbey and is governed by a Canoness (for cruisers and frigates) or a Palatine (for corvettes). That is because the order refuses to take roots on a planet before every world of the Reliq Sector has returned under the imperial wing. The only convent present on the surface of a planet is the Abbey of the Imperial Griffon, on the fortress world of Ultima II, a volcanic planet in the Minus Sub-sector near the Excruciating Whine, but it is considered more as a military installation by the sisters of the order, than a true monastery.

 

The order's patron saint is Saint Lillian, a Celestial Maiden know for her martyrdom. She was on the Blade of the Emperor, a Sword class frigate that was transporting the corpse of Cardinal Zacharial to the main cathedral of Aurelia, the sector capital. A mistake of the Navigator made the ship going lost for 3 mouths. When the ship reappeared in the real space the imperial cruiser Pride of Terra sent its aids, but that mission of rescue became rapidly an extermination mission: the whole crew was tainted by the Ruinous Powers and, with the heretical belief that they were gone lost in the Warp because of the Cardinal's corpse, rebelled against the Imperium. When the Navy Troopers reached the room where Zacharial was kept they found all that all the sisters' escort were slayed but one. That Sororitas was Sister Lillian, who, seeing the imperial soldiers, smiled and then collapsed to the ground in a pool of blood. The autopsy revealed that in ther body there were five gun bullets, several laser burns and two bolts rounds, both unexploded. That she could survive all that time alone and with these wounds was considered a miracle and after few years she was officially nominated saint. Now her corpse lies next to the Cardinal's one, in the grand cathedral of Aurelia, continuing her watch on him.

 

The Celestial Maidens are normally suspicious about Space Marines. They consider them strong in the body but weak in their will, easily corruptible by the ruinous powers. In particular they accuse the pride of the Astartes, opposed to their spirit of atonement and martyrdom. This believing started during the Silvan Crusade due to the several Chaos Warbands encountered during the war and found the climax with the purge of the White Fists. It was during this event that the order requisitioned one Strike Cruiser from the chapter fleet as reparation and made it its flagship.

 

The speciality of the Order of the Celestial Maidens is the orbital insertion. They normally starts with a bombardment provided by one of their cruiser and then, with the enemy still confused and weakened by the orbital attack, they descend on the them with their armored Aquila Lander. When required some squad of Celestians are dropped using Dominica Pattern Drop Pods in the vital points of the enemy defences and squads of Seraphim armed with Inferno Pistols attacks the vehicles surprising them with their speed.

One other speciality of the order is the combat in closed spaces. Being a fleet order they fights against Chaos pirates and Xeno corsairs very often. But differently by the Imperial Navy the Order prefers to perform rapid boarding actions, destroying vital parts of the enemy ship and then retreating. Due to that sisters of the Order of the Celestial Maidens prefers to wear always the full power armour, with the helmed well closed.

 

 

RELICS

 

Armour of Saint Lillian (40pt): This martoried armour was weared by Saint Lillian during her martyrdom. The holiness of the precedent bearer has made this power armour special. It is like bullets can not reach who wear this armour, and when they do several times  are less mortal than they should: bolt round does not explode, laser shots cauterize eventual blood losses.

This relic can be taken by a Canoness, it substitutes the Power Armour and grants an Armour Save 3+, an Invulnerability Save 4+ and the trait Eternal Warrior. (Yes, it's praticly as take an Rosarius and a Mantle of Ophelia)

 

Wings of the Griffon (15pt): These beautiful jump-pack are given to the Canonesses of the order. They do not use them always, expecially when they are fighting in the claustrofobic corridors of a space ship, but when a Canoness engage a battle on an open field she normally prefers to have them.

This relic can be taken by a Canoness and change her type in jump-infantry.

 

 

+++ It will be expanded soon +++

[Bjorn Firewalker]

i don't think an Imperial leader will describe a crusade she fought in, as one that "died"- that's the same as saying it "failed," and is a deadly blow to her own troops' morale. Better to say "gone dormant" or "gone to sleep," and make up a prophecy of how a worthy leader will come and "reawaken" the crusade in X amount of time. (Yes, you can have in-universe characters acknowledge they made up the prophecy to preserve morale.)

 

If soldiers feel their fighting has accomplished nothing, they won't be motivated to keep fighting, and may desert or even mutiny if they're ordered to keep fighting. You must make the soldiers feel their efforts are valued- that THEY are valued- to make use of them.

[Ezr91aeL]

Thanks Bjorn Firewalker. You've made me think, and now I've corrected.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

 

 

"But my fellow sisters!
Do not forget that is only matter of time.
One day the crusade wil reborn from its cinders and then we will shine again as angels of the Emperor!
We will still serve! Even if we are penetents!
In the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind!"

These lines are excellent.

 

I know the saying, "Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment," is common in the 'Warhammer 40,000' universe, but if there's no hope, why should anyone bother to do anything but lie down and wait for death? There must be a limit to how grim and dark the setting can be, or there's no point in fighting a war- in consequence, no point for real-world players to play 'Warhammer 40,000', or to buy Games Workshop products.

[Ezr91aeL]

 

"But my fellow sisters!

Do not forget that is only matter of time.

One day the crusade wil reborn from its cinders and then we will shine again as angels of the Emperor!

We will still serve! Even if we are penetents!

In the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind!"

These lines are excellent.

 

I know the saying, "Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment," is common in the 'Warhammer 40,000' universe, but if there's no hope, why should anyone bother to do anything but lie down and wait for death? There must be a limit to how grim and dark the setting can be, or there's no point in fighting a war- in consequence, no point for real-world players to play 'Warhammer 40,000', or to buy Games Workshop products.

 

Thanks again for the help. It's really appreciated.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I just noticed the pictures you added to your first post. I love the Order's colors.

[Ezr91aeL]

Some typos have been corrected and I've added some relics.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Armour of Saint Lilian should be fully repaired. That means they should plug the holes made by the laser beams, stubber rounds, and bolt shells that killed her, though their original locations may be highlighted in golden (precious metal) purity seals.

[Ezr91aeL]

The Armour of Saint Lilian should be fully repaired. That means they should plug the holes made by the laser beams, stubber rounds, and bolt shells that killed her, though their original locations may be highlighted in golden (precious metal) purity seals.

If they substitute the original damaged plates that returns to be a normal Power Armour. 

[Wargamer]

Do Sisters of Battle have access to Astartes warships? I find it bizarre that what amounts to a religious honour guard would be given vessels designed to crush orbital defenses and flatten Hive Cities.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

You'll confuse players if you describe the armor with the line "the ceramite plates are now indestructible" yet give it a mere 3+ Armour Save. Best avoid the contradiction to spare everyone headaches.

[Wargamer]

Thinking more on the fleet, the whole thing feels really off...

• 1 Strike Cruiser - An Astartes warship. Hugely specialised; even the Adeptus Mechanicus don't use these things, and they're kind of notorious for keeping all the best ships for themselves whenever possible!

•  

• 3 Punisher class Cruiser - Again, highly specialised, and also very, very rare. Punishers were listed as "1 per 1,000 points" in BFG Magazine, which in rarity terms puts them up there with Battleships and high-ranking Admirals.

•  

• 3 Gladius class Frigate - Even more Astartes-only ships. How and why are these here?

•  

• 4 Sword class Frigate - A single squadron of workhorse frigates. These I have no problem with.

•  

• 8 Cobra class Destroyer - Small ships, fairly specialised (focused on torpedo attacks rather than conventional guns) but also very common, so can't argue here.

 

Personally, I think this fleet would make a lot more sense if you did some better rounding and used mainstay Imperial craft. So, some points:

 

• If in doubt, use a Lunar Class Cruiser. These things are the workhorse of the Imperial Navy and are probably the most commonly constructed cruiser in the Imperium. It's a safe bet to have this as a flagship. Alternatives include the Gothic Class (very common in certain sectors in late M40 / early M41, but lost popularity in later years) or a Dictator Class (a carrier - more suitable for planetary assaults and convoy escorts, which will matter later).
• Light Cruisers, or slightly less common variants are also good places to look. The Dauntless is the most common Light Cruiser, but other classes do exist. Light Cruisers also have the advantage that, being smaller and less well-armed, they are going to cause less arguments when someone calls into question whether these ships and their crews count as "men under arms" in service of the Ecclesiarchy.
• Escorts - Swords are a solid choice. Cobras are okay, but I feel they're better suited to dedicated Navy warfleets. Maybe swap the numbers - 8 Swords 4 Cobras. The Gladius could probably be replaced with Firestorms.
• Civilian ships. With nearly three thousand Sisters and a half million other followers, you're going to need a lot of transports. Even if not all those people tag along all the time, it's easy to imagine a fleet of this nature attracting pilgrim ships and other faithful tag-alongs. This is why I think having a dedicated carrier in the fleet is a good idea; ships like the Dictator are excellent for driving off pirates!
  
  The civilian ships themselves probably shouldn't be cataloged individually - just a line like: "various civilian ships and transport craft" will suffice.

[Ezr91aeL]

 

See above

 

The Astartes ships are there because, after the purge of the chapter of the White Fists, the Order of Celestial Maidens has taken them as was reparation (that means looted them).

For the Punisher class, mabye you're right. I suppouse I could say they have modified a different kind of ship (as the Duantless) to use bombardment cannon instead of lances or torpedos.

 

The half million civilians are pratically the crew of the ships, and every ship transport from 50 to 300 sisters (the crew of a light cruiser can be made by several dozens of thousand of people)

 

I haven't included a true cruiser because I was afraid of overdoing.

[Ezr91aeL]

You'll confuse players if you describe the armor with the line "the ceramite plates are now indestructible" yet give it a mere 3+ Armour Save. Best avoid the contradiction to spare everyone headaches.

 

I realized that I was more confused than the text I've wrote. Now I something more acceptable and near to sister's style.