WIP Ordo Celestia

[Kaede45]

This is sort of just an info dump about the Christian faction I’m creating. I do plan on expanding on the individual orders & such, but as you can probably tell, I have a penchant for long-winded explanations. I tried to put as much relevant information as I could to help “paint a picture,” so to speak, as I could to try & help others understand as much about my faction as possible. Brackets [] indicate info that is more likely to be changed.

 

I would also like to make this a sort of experiment. I’ve always said that I want my faction & lore to be plausible & implausible in relation to the lore of 40K as a whole. Basically I want it to be that you can either accept that God, Jesus & even Satan exist in the universe of 40K, especially in the way I present how they exist, or you can say that my faction is naive & the existence of these is explained away as a sort of collective consciousness or Warp phenomenon born of the faith of these people. Either way, one thing I love is learning more about the lore of 40K. Feel free to give me tidbits of lore & help me to figure out how to reckon with these things in relation to my faction. Constructive criticism is always welcome, especially when it helps me better understand what does or doesn’t work. I’ll edit this post as I get more information as well as responding in the thread.

 

Just remember that you can’t convince me that God doesn’t exist anymore than I can convince you that He does. Like I said, you can either accept my explanation of how He exists in this universe or you can say “this is likely how the rest of the universe explains it.” Let’s keep it civil & respectful above all else. As always, thank you very much for any & all help & God bless!

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Ordo Celestia is the order militant of the renegade empire known as the Scions of the Golden Kingdom. Ordo Celestia is further divided into several sub-orders:

• The Auric Order: A version of the Adeptus Astartes.
• The Royal Army: The main military faction, similar to the Astra Militarum.
• The Inquisition: Self-explanatory.
• The Sisterhood: Comprised of Battle Sisters as well as Sisters of Silence.

Other sub-orders may exist & these sub-orders are often divided even further.

 

Ordo Celestia & the Scions as a whole are separate from the Imperium of Man. They do not worship the God-Emperor or any of the Chaos gods, instead worshiping what they call the “Overlord of Light” whom they claim is the creator of all things. The Scions are considered the latest incarnation of the ancient Abrahamic religion of Christianity that has survived the Emperor’s purge of all religions as they inhabit a “living” star system which for millennia existed outside the galaxy. This star system, called the Aureum System, is nigh impossible to track & can move itself, as well as its planets, moons, asteroids, etc. anywhere it wishes instantly. There are those who believe that the Overlord of Light may in fact be the star, Stella Aurea, which is the center of this star system. The Scions deny this, proclaiming only that the star is not their God, but is a gift from Him, which He has total control over. The Aureum System seems to exist between the material universe & some alternate reality, separate from the Warp or any other dimension for that matter.

 

The Scions are considered to be as naive as the T’au, believing that they can somehow unite all creatures within the galaxy. Though mostly made up of humans & abhumans, the Scions welcome individuals of all species into their ranks, so long as they are willing to accept their faith. Though mostly peaceful, they have had a military for several thousand years, though it has only become more well-organized & trained since the founding of Ordo Celestia, which was founded more than 400 years ago from the present day (though when the “present day” takes place is up for debate), by a Grey Knight grandmaster who traveled to the System’s capital world Eden, which appeared within Imperial space sometime before the Fall of Cadia.

 

Lord Agamemnon Caustus, former leader of the Brotherhood of Lord Caustus, has been declared Excommunicate Traitoris, along with several other individuals who converted with him. He has since taken the alias of Abraham Shields & is declared the founder & Grand Patriarch of Ordo Celestia as well as founder & supreme grandmaster of the Auric Order. Along with him, other founders include his wife, Sarai Weiss, a Sister of Silence & former member of the Adeptus Custodes, now Grand Matriarch of Ordo Celestia & founder of the Sisterhood; Hestia, a former member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, now Forgemaster of Ordo Celestia; Zauriel Weiss, a former chaplain of the Grey Knights; Nathaniel Holt, a former general of the Astra Militarum, now Lord Commander of the Scions’ Royal Army; & Maeve Davenport, a former member of the Adepta Sororitas, now Sister Superior of the Sisterhood. Among them were several Abhumans formerly associated with the Imperium as well as several Xenos.

 

The current spiritual leader of Ordo Celestia & the Scions as a whole is a man named David Shields, the son of Abraham Shields & his wife Sarai. David’s conception & birth should be impossible, given Abraham’s status as an Astartes as well as Sarai being barren. Those who witnessed the birth of David, estimated to be around 5000 individuals, almost immediately converted to Scionism. While most of the witnesses were Humans & Abhumans, at least a few of every species of Xenos were counted among the 5000, all of whom began to preach the word of Christ to their own kind. While some left with Abraham & his followers to the Aureum System, many remained within the galaxy, claiming that they had been given a mission to spread the word. Each of these individuals found varying degrees of success & failure among their own kind. The few Ork Scions were wiped out quickly; Drukhari Scions were subjected to torture, though the Homunculi assigned to them noted that they survived without the need to inflict pain & the screams of these victims provided no sustenance; the one Genestealer, a creature named Galamoth, took its cult to the Aureum System, where they would find ways to serve the Golden Kingdom.

 

Most interesting is what became of the Human witnesses. The Inquisition first attempted to silence the witnesses, but found their inquisitors who interrogated them would too often convert & found their numbers swelled while the Scions were being repressed. This led to the Inquisition changing tactics, opting instead to convince their faithful that the Scions’ “God” was simply an aspect of the God-Emperor & their denial of this fact was because the God-Emperor revealed himself as such as it was the only way they would be convinced of his divinity. This seemed to work as the number of converts dropped, at least until a radical inquisitor from Ordo Hereticus began agitating the Scions, against the will of the Inquisition.

 

[As for the T’au witnesses, it is known that those captured were sent to reeducation camps, though little else is known of their fates…]

 

For four centuries, the Witnesses would spread the word that “the Light will return” & indeed it did. 400 years after vanishing, the Aureum System would reappear in the galaxy somewhere in Imperium Nihilus, heralded by a brilliant golden light that could be seen, not just across the entire galaxy, but even into the other dimensions. The Warp, the Ghostwind, even the darkest crevices of the Webway & Commoragh could see & feel its light! Soon after, Ordo Celestia launched its Lucis Adventus Crusade, a campaign to conquer twelve star systems that would be added to their “Golden Kingdom.” This would last seven years, by the end of which the Scions would indeed have complete control of every planet in these twelve systems.

 

Unfortunately, over the next [9] years following the end of Lucis Adventus, the Scions would lose control of many of the worlds they conquered, causing several of their star systems to be thrown into anarchy. 6 years after Lucis Adventus, the Scions would only have 4 of their 12 conquered systems under their full control. Of the remaining 8 systems, compliance was more than 50% in 5 systems & less than 50% in 3 systems. Worse yet, around this time Ordo Celestia would be dragged into a war with the Imperium after an Imperial inquisitor of [Ordo Xenos] was accidentally killed on a Scion controlled world. [3 years later, a survivor of the first assault against the Scions] would come forward & reveal that the war was initiated by an extremist Inquisitor, named Morgott Voltairian, who had the Imperial Inquisitor killed in order to trick the Imperium into fighting the Scions.

 

The Imperium & the Scions would sign the “Cruxis Treaty” putting an end to the full-scale war between them, however these two still clash often. The main purpose of this treaty is to prevent open war between the two sides & even allow cooperation when their agendas align, however they will fight each other when their goals oppose. Other such treaties have been made by the Scions with other entities such as the T’au Empire, the Asuryani & even [some] Necron Dynasties, all with the hope of keeping civilians as safe as possible.

[Kaede45]

The Auric Order

 

Ordo Celestia’s “Adeptus Astartes.” Founded by Abraham Shields & Zauriel Weiss, the Auric Order employs the strongest Scions, clad in power armour as their special operations forces. Like the Astartes, Knights of the Auric Order are more specialized, though they are more frequently deployed than their Imperium counterparts. As similar as they are, Knights of the Auric Order are not transhuman Astartes, at least as far as native Scions. Though visually indistinguishable & possessing almost all of the same abilities, these “ascendants” are not scientifically enhanced, but divinely empowered by a sacred ritual, laid down by the Lord millennia prior.

 

While they are different in their creation, the rites to becoming an Ascendant are no less arduous, or dangerous. Before one can join the Order, they must first go through basic military training by the Royal Army, where only the best are even considered candidates for the Auric Order. Prospective candidates will be questioned & subjected to further tests, by which point some will be chosen to become aspirants. Aspirants are then put into squads, or “crops,” of around 5-10 & subjected to several trials which test both individual performance & teamwork. Aspirant crops will succeed or fail together, emphasizing the need for teamwork & leadership, as well as compassion.

 

Aspirant crops who succeed in the Aspirant trials must then face a ritual known as “the Harrowing.” Little is known of this rite, save that it is a test of mental & spiritual fortitude. What is known is that the aspirants imbibe the water of a secret spring which puts them into a catatonic state. This can last anywhere from a few hours to a month, assuming the aspirants survive. Those who do survive are transformed, their bodies changed to become more akin to the Astartes they resemble & become initiates. Initiate crops are subjected to combat trials & even deployed into combat situations as strike teams, usually led by a veteran Knight. Once their training is completed, these initiates are then baptized in the Holy Spring on their monastery world of Seraphis, then they are assigned to one of the sub-orders.

 

There are 5 known sub-orders of the Auric Order: the Silver Sword, the Golden Aegis, the Violet Cloth, the Ebon Tome & the Crimson Chains. Each order has its own specializations & roles, both in & out of combat. Though other minor orders exist, these 5 are the most well known & major orders.

The Order of the Silver Sword — More general purpose, Knights of this order are versed, not just in combat, but in other important matters such as diplomacy, politics, tactics, etc. Most Knights are assigned to this order.

 

The Order of the Golden Aegis — More defensive based than other orders. Knights of this order are considered masters of siegecraft & defensive maneuvers. They tend to wear terminator armor & use heavy weapons or especially shields.

 

The Order of the Violet Cloth — The Chaplaincy of the orders. They handle the spiritual affairs such as inspiring others & tending to the wounded. Though considered the smallest of the orders, they are also widely considered the most important, with many being pastors & even prophets. Their words are highly respected, even by their superiors. They are also the ones most subjected to scrutiny as they must be careful not to invite the counsel of evil spirits.

 

The Order of the Ebon Tome — All Knights of this order are Psykers. They are the librarians of the Auric Order, though their main purpose is to be the demonologists, keeping the tomes used in rites of exorcism. They rarely use their psychic powers, reserving them for use against daemons.

 

The Order of the Crimson Chains — A relatively new order. These Knights are those who have fallen, either by committing horrible crimes or partaking in forbidden rites. These Knights have partaken of the “Blood of Athos,” being cursed with the ability to perceive the workings of “The Evil One” with no respite. They are exclusively combat oriented & deployed mainly where peace is not an option. When not fighting, they are entombed in ivory coffins, placed in stasis until they are absolutely necessary. It’s been said that they exist solely to commit the heinous, yet necessary acts of violence so that the other soldiers of Ordo Celestia can remain blameless. They are treated as pariahs by all, except by others of the Auric Order.