[IG 2020] The Holy Order Militant of the Penitent Saint

[toaae]

Index Imperialis

The Holy Order of the Penitent Saint

Order Name and History

The Pnoabsterix sub-sector lies in the Ultima Segmentum, a bastion of humanity in the deep galactic northeast. For over three millennia, the word of the God-Emperor and the authority of the Ecclesiarchy have been defended by the sisters of the Order of the Penitent Saint. Originally a preceptory of the Order of the Valorous Heart, this Order Minoris has been a staple of Pnoabsterix since arriving on the cardinal world of Othellum in late M38.

Communication and travel across the vast void of the galaxy is unpredictable and haphazard under the best of conditions, and in the Ultima Segmentum, these risks and impediments are only greater. When the first sisters of the Valorous Heart arrived on Othellum, they had their initial orders to enforce and defend the Ecclesiarchy present there. It would be more than a century before they received further contact from their Order Command and as such, the sisterhood had to be self-reliant. Over time, the preceptory on Othellum adopted more of the local customs and traditions, growing more and more distant to their founding order.

The Order’s true genesis came after participating in the Cleansing of Pnoabsterix, a series of crusades made up of virtually all of the sub-sector’s military forces. The preceptory on Othellum had lent nearly every available battle sister to the crusades, determined to bring the God-Emperor’s wrath to the foul xenos. Over the decades-long conflict, the Sororitas engaged the greenskins in void warfare, defending ships from enemy boarding assaults as well as launching their own, driving deep into the enemy crafts to cripple the vessels from within. These grinding battles of attrition were well-suited for the Sororitas, and the excruciation suffered by the sisters only served to push them harder. When the Imperium limped out of the Ork realms victorious, the battle sisters were amongst the forces that had suffered the greatest casualties, as well as having earned the most accolades and honors.

Upon returning to Othellum, the preceptory command held a vigil for their lost sisters. It was there, before the Sarcophagus of the Saint of Pnoabsterix that the sororitas present had a shared vision. They claimed that the God-Emperor’s light shone on the jeweled coffin, and the spirit of the Saint spoke to them, instructing them that only through great pain and sacrifice, much like what they had just experienced, could they find their Lord’s grace. With the backing of the Cardinal of Othellum, the preceptory established itself as the Holy Order of the Penitent Saint.

After its founding, the Order rapidly expanded across the sub-sector, establishing missions and minor sanctuaries on many worlds. With the constant threat of Ork invasion ended, the sub-sector fell into a period of relative peace and stability called the “Pax Pnoabsterix”, and much like the regiments of the Astra Militarum raised from the worlds or the Skitarri legions of Alcrondre, the Order of the Penitent Saint was deployed to combat the God-Emperor’s enemies outside their domain. The number of Holy Wars fought by the sororitas of Othellum were tremendous, and with each victory, the Order’s reputation grew. In the sub-sector, the Pax was maintained in part thanks to the efforts of the sisters who worked with Ordo Hereticus agents to root out heretical cults and would-be traitors. Holy pilgrimage vessels were defended from pirates thanks to the Penitent Saints on board, repelling enemy boarding parties. Across the sector and the local segmentum, the Battle Sisters of the Penitent Saint were known for their steadfast conviction to their faith and their duty, at any cost.

In the late 41st millennia, before being executed, the heretic-scholar Allexia Hrustis claimed that the Order was running out of enemies they could absolve themselves against. While none would dare to give voice to similar concerns, any such fear would be terribly cast away shortly after the heretic burned.

The Order and the Wars of the Mega-Tyrant

Pax Pnoabsterix came to an abrupt end in 936.M41 when WAAAGH!!! Tortoof emerged from the once-defeated Ork worlds. Caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of the massive and dispersed Ork horde, the Imperium quickly lost the initial battles, including the fortress world Wuhaeyr, which had been the bastion that had held back Ork WAAAGHS! In the millennia before the Cleansing. No Sororitas of the Order of the Penitent Saint fell on Wuhaeyar, as the order had recalled its last remaining mission a century before. The failure to be present for the battle was considered a great shame amongst the sisters of the Order, and the Canoness Superior, Gladisonia Vrebel, resigned and joined the swelling ranks of the Sisters Repentia.

The Order redeployed to meet this new threat. On Pretlus Beta, the order took charge in the defense of two of the hives, and when the planet was abandoned by the Imperium after over twenty years of constant warfare, the battle sisters fought valiant rearguard actions to allow the withdrawal of material and personnel. In the jungles of Qingdal Septimus, the Imperium achieved its first major victory over the Orks behind the mass charge of Repentia, Mortifiers, Arco-Flagellants and Penitent Engines. After the fall of the crown world of Caivengh, the Order of the Penitent Saint gave in to mounting pressure from the Departmento Munitorum to focus on defending several key worlds instead of the sub-sector at large. The Sisters of Battle could not defend the forges during the Looting of Alcrondre, but were instrumental in preventing the xenos from capturing an Ordinatus that was unearthed during the conflict.

Ultimately, the wars for the sub-sector came down to the Ork’s assault on Othellum, a world unprepared for such cataclysmic battles. Churches and chapels were converted to bunkers, and brutal urban combat was waged in the streets made for the procession of the faithful. Knights clashed with Gorkanauts under the vaulted ceilings of cathedrals, crushing pews underfoot, and seraphim dueled with stormboyz in the minarets high above. The warlord Tortoof led his biggest nobs and warbosses to sack the Basilica of the Emperor’s Righteous Glory, making three assaults upon the main doors. The first was rebuffed at great cost to the defenders. The second managed to knock down the massive doors before finally being forced back. It was a foregone conclusion to all present, human and ork alike, that the third would push past the threshold. While the guardsmen present were on the brink of shattering, the resolve of the Sisters of Battle could not be shaken. If it was their ultimate fate to spend their lives in the same place the Saint had died, then they were prepared to go down with the God-Emperor’s name on their minds and his glory on their lips.

As the third assault came, a golden warrior appeared, wielding a flaming sword, bathed in pure light and borne through the air by wings of bloodied chains. Those present swear it was the face of the martyr Vrebel who led that final defense, and buoyed by the presence of one of the God-Emperor’s personal angels, the sororitas of the Order of the Penitent Saint sallied forth to meet the green tide. In the middle of the swirling melee, the golden saint dueled with the ork warlord, preventing him from smashing the defenders himself. Ultimately, Tortoof shattered the holy sword and crushed the winged warrior, only to see his hardest and best nobs and warbosses slaughtered around him. With his forces in a clear rout, Tortoof was forced to abandon his ambition for sacking the great cathedral. The ork’s fate would be decided off-world, but the Order of the Penitent Saint wouldn’t be present for that final battle.

Othellum was cleansed of the Orkoid menace just as the Cicatrix Maledictum opened. Half of the sub-sector had been devoured by the greenskins and new threats were taking advantage of the discord sown across the once-prosperous realm. Cut off from their Sanctum and the Imperium at large, the Order of the Penitent Saint is poised to be the light in the darkness, in the God-Emperor’s name.

Homeworld

Othellum is a temperate world, a garden that exemplifies the Holy Terra of old legends. The world is nearly 80% ocean, with one massive continent and dotted by thousands of isles. The world has been a Cardinal world of the Ecclesiarch for millennia, covered in cathedrals, chapels and churches. Originally an agri-world called Beta-Sigtum IV, the Ecclesiarchy overran and renamed the planet after discovering the tomb of the Saint of Pnoabsterix.

The capital city of Thellia lies in the middle of Othellum’s central plains, vast waves of amber and green surrounding the largest cathedrals in the sub-sector. On the north side of the city is the Basilica of the Emperor’s Righteous Glory, which houses the Chapel of the Penitent Saint, which in turn is the final resting place of the Saint of Pnoabsterix. Stretching out from the Basilica are various other magnificent, architectural wonders that espouse the word of the God-Emperor, but there is no more holy place in all of the sub-sector than the Chapel, a former Munitorum depot that the Saint was buried beneath. After the Ecclesiarchy arrived, the saint was exhumed and placed into a magnificent sarcophagus, memorable for the vast quantity of turquoise and precious gems inlaid and adorning it.

This extravagant display of wealth and affluence isn’t unique on Othellum. The prosperity of the sub-sector during the Pax Pnoabsterix was heavily tithed by the Ecclesiarchy, who bedecked the cardinal world with gemstones and rare minerals. That is not to say every inch of the world is a jewel; many billions live on Othellum, and holy pilgrimages from across the sector draw many more souls to the world. The impoverished masses of humanity who live in the shadows of the great cathedrals are suppressed and pushed out by the Ecclesiarchy, who strive to present the world as an idyllic bastion of the God-Emperor’s glory deep in the darkness of the Ultima Segmentum.

In contrast to the lavish extravagance displayed and enjoyed by the agents of the Ecclesiarchy, the sisters of the Order of the Penitent Saint live a far more spartan lifestyle. Their armor, icons, symbols and emblems may showcase the wealth of Othellum, but the battle sisters themselves rebuff the pampered and excessive waste. Their sanctuaries are marvelous facades, the exteriors decorated by the Ecclesiarchy to maintain the world’s jeweled look. On the other hand, the sparse and mundane interiors would seem out of place to a visitor, if one were allowed to view them. Several fortresses dot the cardinal world, far from the cathedral cities, where the Order can train and drill without impeding on the world’s pristine image.

Despite their aversion to the extravagance on the Eccliarchy’s displays, the Order command is housed in the Chapel of the Penitent Saint, below the sarcophagus. Greatly expanded, it is from these subterranean levels that the Holy Wars persecuted by the Order are planned and organized.

Beliefs and Dogma

The Armor and Colors of the Order

The titular Saint has served as an inspiration for the Order in all things. Much as their dogma is drawn from the Saint’s life, their colors come from the Saint’s death. Drawing upon the ornate sarcophagus of the Saint, the majority of the Order wears turquoise armor. Gold symbols adorn their pauldrons, with silver filigree decorating various elements. The white and red vestments represent the purity of their purpose, and the life blood they are prepared to give. In this manner, each sister goes to battle knowing they are encased in their own sarcophagus, ready to lay their lives in the name of the God-Emperor and His Faith.

The Order of the Penitent Saint takes its name from the Saint of Pnoabsterix, a figure of incredible importance to the sub-sector. As the long millennia have gone by, the true story and details of the life of the Saint have been forgotten, misremembered, or, as whispered amongst the foulest heretics, fabricated. Much like every other institution in the sub-sector, the sisters of the Order have their own version of the Saint’s saga, as given to them in visions by martyrs and living saints. What is generally agreed upon across the sub-sector is that the Saint’s long-reaching effect on Pnoabsterix was in three parts.

During the flames of the Horus Heresy, Pnoabsterix was besieged by traitors. The Saint rose to prominence as a brilliant military leader, who eventually led the defense of loyal worlds. To the Order, the Saint was once a humble ground-soldier who stepped up to fill the void when her regiment’s command was wiped out. Against overwhelming odds, the Saint won a heroic victory, throwing back the tides of darkness. It is proclaimed a golden light surrounded the Saint afterwards and in short order, she assumed command of most every Imperial force until she was the Grand Commander of the sub-sector, imbued with the Emperor’s righteousness that none could deny.

Near the end of the Heresy, the Saint committed their greatest sin. With victory for the loyalist forces of Pnoabsterix all but assured, the final battle occurred on Ghreylis, a productive agri-world that the Administrum was eager to hold. The Saint deployed forces to the world, a vanguard that was made up of her dissenters and rivals. In an act that served as a mirror of the actions that had started the Heresy, the Saint ordered Exterminatus on the world. In only a few short hours, all of the Saint’s enemies were dead, as well as the bounty of the world.

What happened in the aftermath is lost to time. What is known is some time later, the Saint re-appeared as a humbled, contritious figure. For the rest of her natural life, the Saint gave up all worldly possessions and spread the holy word of the Emperor across the sub-sector, helping lead cults out of the darkness. It was on Beta-Sigtum IV where the Saint passed away, and was buried beneath a local Departmento Munitorum depot. Eventually, this depot became the Chapel of the Penitent Saint, and millennia later, the Saint’s body lies inside an ornate sarcophagus inside the chapel, which is housed by the Basilica of the Emperor’s Righteous Glory.

To the sisters of the Order of the Penitent Saint, the Saint’s saga of a righteous warrior being susceptible to the sins of their humanity is at the root of their dogma. Alongside the martyrdom of Saint Lucia, the sororitas of the Order believe that only through great suffering can they find forgiveness. The Saint spent their twilight years trying to atone for the massacre of Ghreylis and the betrayal of the God-Emperor’s values of loyalty and selfless sacrifice. The sisters defend the Ecclesiarchy of Othellum and the sub-sector, but they believe that they are the only true inheritors of the Saint’s legacy. As such, they believe that the Saint’s sins are their burden to repay.

The Scripture of Penance Owed

One of the Order’s most important relics is the Scripture of Penance Owed, a catalog of all the crimes, sins, failures and transgressions of their past. These misdeeds are passed down generation after generation amongst the sisterhood, the sins of their forebears becoming their own. Over the long centuries, some acts have been lost to the passages of time, but the punishment owed is never forgotten. The Scripture is the authority as far as the Order’s absolution is concerned.

And it isn’t just the Saint’s sins that have been passed down to the Order. No organization in the Imperium is without its black marks, and the Order of the Penitent Saint is no different. Each failure, betrayal or other transgression is remembered and recorded, and the Order believes it is their collective duty to search for their diety’s forgiveness. Repentance is the greatest virtue for the sororitas of Othellum.

The need to seek absolution in the hellfire of war is so ingrained in the sororitas that there is never a lack of volunteers for the Repentia. They each bear the transgressions as listed in the Scripture of Penance Owed, and as such, each are capable of qualifying for the Repentia. Those sisters who are forcefully inducted into the ranks due to crimes of their own are given brands on their faces, marking them as having increased the Order’s list of sins. The need for penance is so deeply engraved in the Order’s collective psyche that often willing sisters have to be turned away from serving in the repentia, lest entire commanderies dearly sell their lives too quickly.

It is their deepest belief that the God-Emperor will walk again once all of humanity has paid for their transgressions, and that the terrors of the galaxy and the incessant wars waged are the Imperium’s punishment. For the battle sisters of the Order of the Penitent Saint, those who are engaged in the Imperium’s battles are all martyrs, doing their duty to mankind and the God-Emperor.

Combat Doctrine

As an Order Minoris descended from the Valorous Heart, the Order of the Penitent Saint favor warfare centered on brutal battles of attrition, scorched earth, and measured advances. Grinding out painful victories and exacting extreme and total devastation of their enemies is how the sororitas of Othellum measure their accomplishments. Each warrior knows that they must endure, must absorb as much punishment as the enemy can give, in order to defeat not just their foes, but to achieve the repentance the Order seeks.

It is no wonder that the Order is always capable of fielding large numbers of Sisters Repentia, Mortifiers and Penitent Engines. Mass formations of Repentia are deployed at every opportunity, and alongside the engines of penance, these crazed warriors have led many a vanguard for the Order, delivery crippling blows in the form of wanton slaughter to foes unprepared for the fury of the true faith. The success of entire crusades have swung on the charge of these sisters and warmachines, and the engine and eviscerator are as much a symbol of the Order as their turquoise power armor.

When a foe is too implacable to be ground down, and too resilient to be battered by the repentant, the Order turns to its avenging angels. Drowning the enemy in a hail of bolts, plasma, holy fire and blessed blades, the Seraphim and Zephyrim of the Order are deployed in mass to shatter the resolve of the enemy. These righteous demi-goddesses of war are often at the center of many reported miracles, and have ended the tale of many a xenos warlord, slaver, heretic and traitor.

Above all else, the Order of the Penitent Saint seeks to constantly be waging the God-Emperor’s wars. They will answer any call for support, will fight in any environment, and will mercilessly and tirelessly hunt down any foe on any world. The Order has persecuted many crusades, being the driving force of the Imperium on lost worlds as weapons of faith. In the sub-sector, it is not uncommon for missions to disappear into the hives and underbellies of Pnoabsterix, only to emerge years later, diminished and battered, having rooted out and eliminated traitors and cults. Wherever conflict can be found, the battle sisters of Othellum are often in the midst of it.

Organization

Despite being based on Othellum, the Order of the Penitent Saint has missions on every major world in Pnoabsterix, and a presence on nearly every other occupied one. Prior to the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Order received its recruits as every order did. But since the appearance of the Great Rift and the loss of communication with the Convent Santorum and Ophelia VII, the Order has had to take a more proactive hand in the local Schola Pregenium. Fortunately, in the wake of the Mega-Tyrant’s invasion and the subsequent wars, there are a rapidly growing number of orphans who can be indoctrinated.

Constrained by dogma to maintaining only six preceptories, each one is often much larger than their typical counterpart in another Order. On occasions where the warp has cut contact between a preceptory and Othellum, it is the custom to found a new preceptory with the designation, duties and traditions of the lost one. When the God-Emperor has blessed the Order with his mercy, calming the warp and bringing the lost sisters back into the fold, the new and old preceptories will be merged, with a ritualistic combat held between the two canoness preceptors for the right to lead the joint force. The victor is the one that stains the ground with their lifeblood the most without losing consciousness, signifying the burden the canoness is capable of enduring for her sisters.

Each preceptory represents one of the 6 Acts of the Saint’s Repentance. For example, the fourth preceptory is dedicated to void-warfare, serving aboard the Order’s ships as well as the vessels of the Ecclesiarchy, representing the Penitent Saint’s service feeding the ratings onboard an Imperium warship. On the other hand, the 2nd preceptory is dedicated to hunting down heretical cults and false prophets, a dark mirror to the Saint’s act of bringing the God-Emperor’s cults out of the shadows and into the light.

The angelic host of seraphim and zephyrim are called “the Companions of Lucia'', named after the patron saint of the Valorous Heart. The Order of the Penitent Saint only recruits Companions from sisters who have survived the rigours of serving in the Sisters Repentia. They are marked as true exemplars of the Order’s values, trading the turquoise armor of the Penitent Saint’s sarcophagus for the pristine white of the God-Emperor’s glory. Embodying the Order’s highest ideals and traditions, the Companions are found at the center of the most important rituals and most vital battles.

Battlecry

“Our Faith is Eternal, our Repentance, Unending!” Edited February 17, 2022 by toaae

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The picture is well done. Does the turquoise armor represent the actual gemstone, and thus, the personal wealth of the officials who founded this Order? A ward against evil, which the ancient Egyptians used the gemstone for, as noted in the Wikipedia article? The seas of the planet the Order was founded on? Edited March 21, 2020 by Bjorn Firewalker

[toaae]

The picture is well done. Does the turquise armor represent the actual gemstone, and thus, the personal wealth of the officials who founded this Order? A ward against evil, which the ancient Egyptians used the gemstone for, as noted in the Wikipedia article? The seas of the planet the Order was founded on?

Oh, some great ideas.

 

The answer is the gemstone, but not for those excellent, in-universe reasons. I grew up in northern Arizona and saw a lot of Navajo turquoise jewelry. I've always love the color, and wanted to incorporate it into my sisters of battle for a long time. I've contemplated how to explain the origin, and I was leaning towards that the sarcophagus of the titular Saint was inlayed with Turquoise. I may expand on that with some of your suggestions.

 

The sub-sector all my armies are based in is supposed to be very prosperous and wealthy (which is a set-up to make its fall to my Orks more tragic), so I do like the idea that the Ecclisarchy in the sub-sector jeweled up the sarcophogus, which the Sororitas then used as the inspiration for their colors.

 

Thank you so much!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Turquoise armor, worn to honor an Imperial martyr and saint who was buried in a turquoise sarcophagus? Good idea. I assume the Sisters are ready to die at any moment- indeed, welcome an honorable death in the God-Emperor's service- and view their own turquoise armor as personal coffins?

[Trokair]

Looks like Sisters are popular at the moment, so good to have some company and see what we each of us comes up with.

 

I do like the colour scheme. The red insides of the robes makes an interesting spot colour as it is the only warm colour compared to the cold turquoise and white.

 

While Bjorn Firewalker,s comment about thinking of the armour as personal coffins would be fitting for 40k it feels a bit doom seekerish to me and repenting sisters usually go without armour to seek doom or salvation.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

While Bjorn Firewalker,s comment about thinking of the armour as personal coffins would be fitting for 40k it feels a bit doom seekerish to me and repenting sisters usually go without armour to seek doom or salvation.

Going without armor can get you killed BEFORE you can kill an enemy. My idea is the Sisters, while seeking doom, also seek to make their dooms worthwhile, i.e., they're determined to bring the God-Emperor's enemies with them to the grave.

 

Sister of the Order of the Penitent Saint: "If we must take our last breath, we will breathe through teeth tightly clenched upon the throat of an enemy of the God-Emperor."

[Dosjetka]

That's a nice shade of blue you've got there. Any further updates to this?

Even just a small list of bullet points would be a good start and could allow us to assisst you in building up your article.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Dosjetka

[toaae]

That's a nice shade of blue you've got there. Any further updates to this?

 

Even just a small list of bullet points would be a good start and could allow us to assisst you in building up your article.

 

Actually, I do  I work on outlines. Here's the one for the HOotPS:

 

 

Order Name and History

• The Penitent Saint, AKA, The Forgotten Saint, the Butcher of Ghreylis, the Silent Envoy
•                  Near-mythical figure; true history lost and/or forgotten
•                  Three acts: Defended Pnoabsterix during the Horus Heresy. During Scouring, turned on coalition forces for personal gain. Afterwards, gave up all possessions and spread the holy word of the Emperor
•                  May not been one person; may have been a triumvirate-like group, or a dynasty.
• Patron saint of the Pnoabsterix (sub-sector located in the Ultima Segmentum, out near the Ghoul Stars)
•                  Deified differently across the sub-sector
•                  IE, to the hivers of one world, the Saint is a humble scavver who fed the hungry; to the dynasties of another world, the Saint was a high-born general who is a tale of warning how far they can fall; to the Forgeworld of Alcrondre, they are a Tech Priest who founded STCs and defended them; to the death-prison world of Ghreylis, they are reviled and shown as how giving into your base desires dooms the Imperium
•                  The Sororitas view her (they are convinced it’s a lady) of how even the best are sinful, and they view it as their duty to pay for the sins of their/the Saint’s past
• Believed to have died on Beta-Sigtum IV
•                  Was buried beneath a small Munitorum Depot
•                  The Depot was converted to a chapel
•                  Over time, a cathedral built up over the Depot, and the surrounding area become a city of churches to the Emperor. The world was renamed Othellum and became a Cardinal World
•                  The Ecclesiarchy became rich, because of Pnoabsterix’s prosperity. Sometime before the Age of Apostasy, the Saint was exhumed and moved into a Sarcophagus with inlaid Turquoise and other precious gems

The Sororitas arrive

• Sisters of the Valorous Heart eventually came to garrison Othellum
• The history of the Penitent Saint meshed well with the Valorous Heart
• By the late M38, they are morphed into a minor order
•                  Over time and due to the challenges of the Ultima Segmuntum, the Preceptory on Othellum had become organizationally separate from their order
•                  Transformation came during the Cleansing of Pnoabsterix, a series of Holy Wars that culminated in a sub-sector coalition that drove into Ork space and destroyed the scrap fleets that resulted in Pax Pnoabsterix, an era of (relative) peace and prosperity
•                  After the extreme cost they paid in the Cleansing, upon returning to Othellum and praying before the Altar of the Emperor’s Mercy (I wanna call it “Emperor’s Disappointment”, but that seems too corny/silly instead of satirical), the Canoness Preceptor had a vision of the Saint, and ordered the Preceptory to repaint their armor turquoise, to reflect the sarcophagus of the Saint.

Order’s role during the Pnoabsterix Wars

• By late M41, the Order of the Penitent Saint had projected the Ecclesiarchy’s will across the sub-sector, burning out heresy and even taking part in several crusades across the surrounding sectors
• When WAAAGH!!! Tortoof arrived, the Order was deployed elsewhere, unable to respond to prevent the fall of the fortress world ______
•                  This is considered a great failing, and the ranks of the Sisters Repentia swells, including the Canoness Superior
•                  The Order is recalled and mustered
• The Sororitas fight at pivotal battles such as
•                  The Hive World of _____, where they helped hold the line at several hives and ultimately lead the rearguard as the world was abandoned
•                  The jungles of ______, which featured a mass charge of Sisters Repentia, Penitent Engines, Arco-Flagellants, and Mortifiers that was named “The Saint’s Glorious Charge”.
•                  The Looting of Alcrondre
• At the penultimate battle of WAAAGH!!! Tortoof, the Order had to defend their home turf, Othellum
•                  Many Cathedrals and Basilicums across the world were sacked by the greenskins, but the Basilicum of the Emperor’s Righteous Glory was defended and the hordes of Tortoof thrown back, though the whole of the Cardinal world was war-torn.
•                  A living saint appeared, believed to be the Penitent Saint working through the former-Canoness Superior-turned-Repentia, who dueled Tortoof. Ultimately, the Warlord struck the living saint down, but not before the Sororitas had pushed back his horde and he was forced to retreat, lest he be overwhelmed.

As Pnoabsterix burns, the Order of the Penitent Saint is forced to consolidate and regroup, trying to cleanse Othellum and what other worlds haven’t been completely lost

• In the wake of the appearance of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Order has had to institute near-martial law, with Othellum’s Cardinal becoming a figurehead with no actual power
• As many forces, from without and within take advantage of the Fall of Pnoabsterix, the Order of the Penitent Saint finds themselves as the light in the darkness.

Homeworld

 

• Othellum, a temperate, Cardinal world, covered in cathedrals and churches
• Home to the Basilicum of the Emperor’s Righteous Glory, which houses the Chapel of the Silent Saint, the depot where the Saint of Pnoabsterix’s sarcophagus is housed.
• The recruits are taken from all over Pnoabsterix
• A jeweled world, where the Ecclesiarchy of Pnoabsterix squanders the sub-sector’s wealth. The underworld of Othellum is actively hidden and punished, as the Ecclesiarchy works to make it appear to be an ideal world, a golden light in the darkness of the far galactic northeast.

Beliefs

• Sins must be repaid, and the greatest sins cannot be repaid in one life
• The Saint of Pnoabsterix’s betrayal is considered unpayable, and it’s the Order’s duty to make payments to the Emperor for those transgressions
• Many sins are forgotten, only their cost remembered
• As the Saint found faith in the Emperor, so can others find grace in serving the Emperor
• It is considered a great honor to volunteer for the Repentia
• By that token, Mortifiers are greatly reviled; not only did you not pay for the previous sins, but added new ones
• There is a waiting list to join the Repentia
• Those who survive the Repentia are semi-deified; they are the ideal of the Emperor’s Mercy and the Saint’s Path.

Combat Doctrine

• Repentance, repentance, repentance.
•                  Massive numbers of Sister Repentia are employed in battle
•                  Mortifers and Penitent Engines are fielded in high numbers
• Massed Bolter Fire
•                  The holy bolter is the preferred weapon of the trinity
•                  It’s believed the Saint fought with a bolter
• Slow, grinding warfare is the preferred style
•                  Much like their founding order, they view this pained combat as a way to pay their duties

Organization

Not a lot here yet. I do intend to make Seraphim and Zephyrim “avenging angels”, those that have passed through the ranks of the Sisters Repentia (I’m going to alternate my colors; white armor with turquoise vestments)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

You have a lot of good and original ideas.

It is considered a great honor to volunteer for the Repentia

 

...

 

There is a waiting list to join the Repentia

Why would there be a waiting list?

 

Suggestion: This Order's "Sisters Repentia" actually act like Green Berets, infiltrating behind enemy lines to scout enemy positions, assassinate enemy leaders, sabotage enemy defenses and destroy enemy resources, interdicting and ambushing enemy units on the march- NOT to get themselves killed in pointless suicidr attacks. (Incidentally, there should be Repentia bearing sniper weapons.) There's a waiting list for the same reason the Special Forces Qualification Course has a waiting list: those qualified to serve in these units are rare, those qualified to train the candidates are rarer still.

Those who survive the Repentia are semi-deified; they are the ideal of the Emperor’s Mercy and the Saint’s Path.

Question: If a Sister survives being a Repentia, does she regain her original arms and armor, and rejoin her original squad?

[toaae]

You have a lot of good and original ideas.

 

Why would there be a waiting list?

 

Question: If a Sister survives being a Repentia, does she regain her original arms and armor, and rejoin her original squad?

Thank you!  I've got a few themes I've had in my head for a while, now I just gotta forge them into a proper thing.

 

I just added the waiting list tonight. The thought is if I make it seem like there's such a push to willingly join the Repentia, what exactly prevents the Order from being all repentia? The thought that there's such a demand for the position that there is a queue for joining the near-suicidal, normally-sort-of-ad-hoc unit of paying-for-someone-else's-ancient-crimes feels suitably grim dark to me. Let me know how you feel; it's not a thing I'm very attached to, just something I felt my established ideas sort of lead to.

 

I'm thinking it goes Battle Sister > Repentia > Seraphim/Zephyrim/Celetians. So those that survive the rigours of being a Repentia become demi-saints, sort of, exemplars of the Order's belief in paying for past sins.

 

As for your idea, there's something to that. Maybe there's a selective part of the order that makes up a covert repentia? Would certainly provide me with some cool modeling opportunities. I'll have to consider that.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The thought that there's such a demand for the position that there is a queue for joining the near-suicidal, normally-sort-of-ad-hoc unit of paying-for-someone-else's-ancient-crimes feels suitably grim dark to me.

I like your idea of Sisters acting like a genderbent Jesus Christ, paying for someone else's ancient crimes instead of their own; but this means they are NOT Sisters Repentia. May I suggest the name "Sisters Redeemer" instead?

 

You should also emphasize these units win honor and glory for undertaking great risks, to explain WHY there's a waiting list to join them.

[toaae]

Ok, first draft of the Index is up! It's probably a little wordy in places; this was largely a stream of conciousness as I expounded on the points in my outline. In particular, the section on the Order's role in the wars with my orks was originally 1700 words, but I realized that it was far too much detail for an Index article, so I saved that for my records and reduced it to a more manageable 700. There's probably other parts that could have had the same treatment, but just didn't immediately strike me as I was writing it.

Order symbol is also WiP. I threw it together this morning. There are elements I want to use (wreath of thorns, the heart, the orders colors), but I'm open to all feedback about it.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the backstory.

[Trokair]

I think the difference between traditional Repentia (in other orders. i.e. those that have had personal failures that need to be repented) and the Repentia as you have them (an honoured position repenting for others sins) needs to be clearly drawn. Maybe have the former denied the honour of the latter and instead personal sins that in another order would lead to Repentia status instead lead to the more sever and irreversible Arco-flagellant status. To me the logic would be that those whose personal sins are sever enough (and would elsewhere lead to repntia status) can only repent trough transformation and suffering as a Arco-flagellant with no chance to redeem or survive and return to the order (unlike repentia elsewhere).

[toaae]

I'm actually going for something different with the repentance thing, and probably failing at getting it across. I don't really want them taking the burdens of others, like a gender-bent Jesus Christ, but rather inheriting the burden from predecessors and so on. Like a "sins of the father" sort of thing, where the failure of the past is reflective on the present. Suffering in place of another is a little too noble, in my mind. I like the grimdarkness of being raised in culture that says "one of our own, name forgotten, at some point, time forgotten, committed this vague crime, and for that, we are all ashamed and at fault".

I'd like to emphasize that the cause of the punishment is often lost and forgotten, just that a punishment is owed.

[Trokair]

Ah, I misunderstood.

 

That said I still think there needs to be a distention of Repenting for the past sins and the personal sins commited by the sister. Otherwise would some sister not be tempted to seek to 'honour' (or admiration or however you want to call it) that is Repentia status for yout order by committing a sin and as such bypass the waiting list you mentioned.  

[toaae]

Ok, pending anything being pointed out, I'm calling this version 1.0 of the Index Imperialis article for this order.