Liber Challenge: Order of the Vagabond Blade

[Marshal Mattias]

Order name: Order of the Vagabond Blade

 

 

 

Iconography: The sisters make use of their original Argent Shroud icon of a thorn-crowned skull, with the addition of a sword piercing it from top to bottom. Their superiors are often marked with a pair of crossed blades, and many sisters bear the iconography of the Templar cross as a medal of distinction, visibly demonstrating their shared past and experience.

 

Home planet: Forged in battle at Helsreach, the sisters now travel with the Black Templar Crusade 'Renascibilitas', aboard their own ship 'Emperor Ascendant',

named for the Temple that the sisters of their former order died defending.

 

Founder: Battle Sister Suvilina, later elected Prioress and eventually declared Living Saint.

 

Notable sisters:

 

- Saint Suvilina, Honoured accross the Imperium. Reborn from beneath mountains of rubble and gifted with holy visions from the Emperor himself, she launched a fervent crusade which has not slowed since.

 

- Sister Superior Brienne, a powerful warrior favouring the Mace. Her feats of strength have put even Astartes to shame, making her legend amongst the newer members of the order. The most popular tale sees her facing down a speeding Traitor Landraider, before slamming it to a halt with a single blow. She is of course humble as befits her station, and is always quick to point out that it was 'only a Rhino.'

 

History:

Originally formed in 998M41 from a small group of sisters of the Argent Shroud, operating on Armageddon during the third war, their founder was a lowly noviciate who crawled out from beneath the rubble a full seven days after the collapse of the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant. While her feat of survival was remarkable enough, she carried with her the once ordinary blade of their fallen Prioress Sindal. The blade now glowed with a most holy energy, far more potent than the unremarkable power sword should have been able to produce. The young sister claimed the blade was blessed by the Emperor's divine will in honour of their Prioress' sacrifice. She also spoke of a vision from the Emperor, in which he commanded her to carry the blade on a pilgrimage of fire, laying waste to all Xenos, Mutants and Heretics who still prowled through the battered system. She asked her sisters who would follow her in this, and to a woman, they knelt and offered their weapons. The request to launch a new minor crusading order was sent, but they did not wait for a reply. The sisters of the Vagabond Blade were born.

 

Retaining the silver armour of their previous order, the sisters dyed their robes black in a sign of mourning for their fallen kin, and also as a symbol of their new purpose, guided directly by the Emperor himself.

 

It was during the ceremonies atop the walls of Helsreach, that Sister Suvilina met again the fiery Reclusiarch of the Black Templars, 'Grimaldus.' A fellow begrudging 'hero of the people,' they shared an unspoken bond from their tragic last stand within the temple, having lost most of their respective kin. While an Astartes would normally not give much credence to 'visions,' the Templars understood their importance better than most. Grimaldus' last conversation with the late Prioress Sindal echoed in his mind as he listened to Sister Suvilina. The sister's faith brought her strength, and while he may not share or truly understand it, he respected the power it gave her. As they talked, they realised the goals of the new Order were similar in scope as the orders handed down by High Marshal Helbrecht; that a new crusade be formed, to recruit and grow, while scouring the enemies of mankind from this vulnerable system. At the personal request of Grimaldus, a small vessel was made available to the Order of the Vagabond Blade, along with a request of his own; that the noble sisters accompany this new Templar Crusade 'Renascibilitas,' and join them in their mission. Suvilina considered her options, and the pair agreed an alliance of mutual cooperation.

 

The two factions benefited greatly from the arrangement, and saw great successes for a time. Sister Suvilina was now elected Prioress, unanimously by her sisters.

Travelling from planet to planet, hunting traitors, witches and xenos, the Templars and the Sisters became used to fighting alongside each other. They both saw their numbers grow, as aspirants flocked to their banners. As news of their crusades spread, others came looking from further away, to join their cause. One such was the enigmatic Inquisitor Detritous. A fervent witchunter, he was a traditionalist of the Ordo Hereticus and a true zealot. With his trusty shotgun 'Mercy,' he became a loyal member of the Order. He was a capable commander and a valuable ally to the new Prioress, and the two became trusted friends, as well as inspiring presences on the battlefield.

The next to seek them out was a former Comissar, who introduced himself only as 'Colonel.' After leaving his former position in disgrace, he now styled himself as a 'repentant' and something of an 'aspiring inquisitor.' While the sisters were unsure of his past and he shared no details of his fall from grave, he proved himself essential on the battlefield. His expertise on dispatching various xenos threats meant he was granted forgiveness and sanctuary, as long as he pledged himself to the Order until the Prioress deemed his debt to the Emperor to be forgiven. He agreed, and has fought alongside the sisters since.

 

It was several years later, when Castellan Guillaume Robért and Prioress Suvilina fought the foul daemons of the warp on the barren surface of a hellish planet, that Suvilina was elevated to her highest position. A tremendous hulking daemon prince lead a horde which was battering their forces, and threatened to overrun their positions. The Castellan had charged the arch-fiend alone, hoping to slow its advance. Even the mighty Castellan was losing ground, unable to withstand the fearsome blows of the creature. Suddenly, his stormshield shattered under a devastating blow, and he fell back. As he prepared to face his demise, a slender shining blade streaked before him and stopped-dead the killing blow of the creature. Marvelling, the Castellan was already leaping to his feet, amazed at the inhuman strength of the Prioress and the blade she wielded. The blow should have crushed any mortal, and yet she stopped it with her outstretched blade.

Together, the two swordmasters were unstoppable. They ducked, weaved and parried, slashing and stabbing past the creatures defences again and again until finally, the monster dropped to its knees, two relic blades thrust deep through its black heart. As the battle turned, the Imperial forces rejoiced and word of the incredible duel spread. Suvilina was declared a living saint, having demonstrated it threefold- her rebirth from beneath the rubble, her visions sent by the Emperor, and the strength he gave her to slay his enemies. The Order was experiencing it's greatest moment since its inception, but it would not last...

 

The darkest period of the Sisters crusade was a true trial of faith, and one that they adamantly refuse to discuss with those outside their bond. The Armageddon system was plagued by pirates and Xenos raiders in the aftermath of the Ork Waaagh, the most troublesome being a massively organised fleet led by a sadistically brutal Archon of the more twisted and corrupted Eldar. Known by many aliases, his true form was hidden by his propensity for flaying his victims, choosing to wear the faces of others over his own. The Xenos rampage was at its peak when it was set upon by the Sisters of the Vagabond Blade. They led many stalwart defences of imperial assets, rallying the local PDFs to hold the line. Their incredible zeal and tenacity served as an inspiration to the weary and battered troops, while their proficiency with their meltaguns saw innumerable Xenos vehicles wrecked in range of the lasguns and flamers of the defenders. Gradually, the attacks grew more disjointed as the Xenos warlord seemed to lose his grip on the sector.

 

This was the turning point, when the pillaging and slave-raiding became a bitter war. The Eldar targeted an imperial factory district, rather than the minor settlements they had preyed on up until now. They simply fired up the engines of a captured frigate and pointed it at the planet's surface. The recovering imperial defences never had time to intercept it, before the entire city sector was destroyed and a crippling blow dealt to the military recovery. The enemy fleet was great in number and required substantial cooperation between the Sisters and the Templars to tackle it. The expertise of the Templars in ship-to-ship assaults combined with the extraordinary close-quarters firepower of the Sisters made for an incredibly potent force. Their assault on the xenos fleet was devastating, cooperating units of both factions arriving via boarding torpedoes and carving a bloody swathe through the heart of the enemy vessels. The pirate fleet was broken, but a large portion prepared to flee into the warp, their warlord still at the helm. The imperial factions rushed to follow, chasing their prey, leaving only shattered derelicts behind to tell of the battle that had raged there.

 

There was no contact with the crusade fleet for many years, and the Order of the Vagabond blade was assumed lost with all hands. When they finally resurfaced in the sector, they were unwilling to discuss the details of their extended mission despite Inquisitorial pressure. If anything, the bonds between the order and their Templar allies were stronger than ever; the truth of their ordeal being the cause.

At the moment the loyalist fleet had entered the warp in pursuit of their foes, a freak storm was brewing. The entire battle lines of both xenos and imperial factions were flung off course and assailed on all sides by endless foul creatures that inhabited that realm. It seemed that the twisted xenos archon had attempted to activate some bizarre relic weapon tainted by the machinations of the chaos gods, but now the enemy of all was drawn to its power like a beacon in the darkness. The Sisters and the Templars fought endlessly to hold off the daemons of the warp, suffering horrendous casualties, all the while trying to close the gap against their xenos prey. Eventually, a strike force led by Saint Suvilina and Castellan Robért managed to establish a tenuous teleport lock and were able to infiltrate the enemy's capital ship. As the xenos fought desperately against the daemons, the strike team was able to sabotage the critical systems. As their slower crusade vessels caught up, they were able to get more of their brothers and sisters aboard and mercilessly slaughtered countless xenos and daemons alike. The enemy warlord however, was not found. How he had escaped the horrors was never determined, but he would face his punishment many years later...

 

With the final destruction of the Eldar vessels and the tainted device, the loyalists were able to navigate back into realspace. How long their battle had lasted, they could not be sure. Months, perhaps years had passed, for time flows differently there. The survivors had endured unspeakable horrors, but had survived them together. The probing questions of the inquisition were considered an insult and ignored. This has left many factions among the larger imperium deeply suspicious of the sisters and their allies. Many did not believe they could have spent so long in the warp and emerged untainted. The Sisters and the Templars would come to rely on each other for support on many occasions when other imperial forces declined to assist them, despite their otherwise unblemished record. None of this bothers the Sisters of the Vagabond Blade, however. Their faith and zeal is strong, and they have a burning desire to purge the galaxy of all whose existence dishonours the Emperor. With their Saint at their head, they will continue to bring devastation to their enemies with extraordinary prejudice.

 

Notable battles joined:

 

Cleansing of the Genestealer Cult from Hive City Fastidious. The plumes of smoke from the many flamer weapons deployed were reportedly visible from the orbiting defense stations.

Renamed 'Sanctorous' in honour of the Sisters who reclaimed it.

 

During the 13th Black Crusade, the Sisters fought off waves of mutants and traitors in multiple imperial defences, before shipping out with Crusade Renascibilitas to put an early end to the 'Green Kroosade' off Ork filth building up in the Scarus Sector.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Marshal Mattias

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The fluff is okay, but as "vagabond" has some negative connotations (I keep mentally linking it to "hobo"), perhaps "Blade of the Knights Errant" (the Sisters being the Knights Errant in question) is more appropriate, or "Order of the Vengeful Blade."

[Aqui]

Vagrant might be another choice of name (as in endlessly moving, wandering - or in 40K context - crusading )

[*Furyou Miko]

Vagabond implies banditry, but the inclusion of 'bond' in the word implies (poetically, not semantically) that it has a more noble purpose behind it... plus, it has that Lion King connection via Elton John.

 

Vagrants are just layabouts with no fixed place of residence.

[Marshal Mattias]

I like the mixed reactions that 'Vagabond' creates. Also, as the fluff expands, it will fit more thematically.

 

- they are the battered, defeated remnants of a fighting force, a scattered handful who barely survived the apocalypse. They'll be dusty, tired and effectively homeless (their temple collapsed around them).

- they embark on a crusade-style adventure, with no final destination in mind.

- along with the Templars fleet, they are lost in the warp for some time before emerging years later, grimmer and more tightly-knit than before. The larger ecclesiarchy views them with some mistrust, as few who travel in the warp for extended periods can escape untainted. They are also battle-bonded with their Templar allies, more so than is usual for Sororitas and Astartes. They have fought side-by-side for survival against untold horrors and warp-abominations, and have great respect for each other's styles and beliefs. For any who 'weren't there,' it is an unusual scenario.

 

Basically, the name in all it's forms applies to them. (I thought quite hard about it!)

[Marshal Mattias]

Updated with the armour scheme and expanded on the early history of the crusading sisters and their leader.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

 

 

The next to seek them out was a former [Commissar], who introduced himself only as 'Colonel.'

Ibram Gaunt, is that you? What are you doing approx. 240 years AFTER the Sabbat Worlds Crusade was launched?

[Marshal Mattias]

*looks up Gaunt*

 

Cool, he's pretty boss.

[Marshal Mattias]

So, I think that ought to be enough? I feel it shows they truly represent their 'Vagabond' name, and why they and the Templars fight together with such regularity. Hope you like it, I'll try and tidy up the formatting when I'm back on my PC. And of course, a few painted miniatures will follow as soon as I have the chance.

[Marshal Mattias]

About time I followed up on this! What follows will be a small WIP log as I gradually paint some members of my Order. Who knows, maybe these sisters of the Vagabond Blade will actually get a game in eventually? So here is a quick'n'dirty WIP of my first Sister:

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a628/matzeke/4AF37CCF-CE3A-4A6A-A8E8-DE55455AA42E_zps1afsqov4.jpg

It's just some base colours, but now that I can see them on the model, I feel more confident that the scheme is going to look good :)

[Marshal Mattias]

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a628/matzeke/4C2F96A4-58C7-4EB5-8F00-66F2106F5D7C_zpsnrjjjxi4.jpg

 

My first Sister Superior of the Vagabond Blades; Sister Katya witnessed from afar, the last stand of the Argent Shroud in Helsreach. A casualty aboard medevac, she saw the pillars of dust rising as the Temple of The Emperor Ascendant collapsed in on itself. The fires of hatred for the xenos, that burned in her heart then, rage still - especially for the plague of the Ork. Katya pursues them with a reckless abandon that has led her unit into more than one sticky situation. The bond of her sisters is strong, however, and they have always followed her without question.

 

The fervour with which she hunts the Ork has earned her great respect from the Black Templars with whom she travels. They consider her especially honourable, as she has led several desperate charges, before taking the heads of many of the most brutish orks in single combat. It was her unit's heroic intervention during the Garian's Crusade - leaping from the back of a stormraven with their flamers and storming a fortified position - which saved the lives of Champion Armand and his Swordbrethren, pinned by heavy weapons fire behind a wrecked landraider.

[WarriorFish]

Pops now she has a base, good work and the first of many! :tu: Metal looks good, have you given it a bit of a wash?

[Aqui]

I think she and my Canoness would get on like a Heretic on fire...

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I like the silver armor- so regal, as befits a Daughter of the Emperor.

[Marshal Mattias]

Pops now she has a base, good work and the first of many! :tu: Metal looks good, have you given it a bit of a wash?

Yeah - metal got nuln, brass got aggrax, gold got sepia. Then everything has had a few highlights etc. The sand still needs painting, but I'm always too impatient to wait for the glue to dry :P I'll end up doing them all at once, probably :D