Liber Challenge: Order of the Devoted Knife

[Naminé]

Order of the Devoted Knife:

Founded in early M40 for the purpose of rooting out and obliterating a growing Chaos presence within the Segmentum Tempestus, a location that is usually mercifully lacking in such incursions.  The Adeptus Ministorum intended to ensure this freedom continued and so took the necessary steps to accomplish this task.  Drawing Sisters from the Order of the Sacred Rose, the Minor Order has since grown into a large force of around 3000 Sororitas.

 

Home planet:

 

Casolos, a Hive world and trade outpost located near the southern edge of the Segmentum Tempestus.  The planet itself has a significant Adeptus Ministorum presence, with several Cathedrals dominating the landscape and serves as a staging post for the Ecclesiarchy's campaigns at the edge of the galaxy.

 

Founders:

 

Ecclesiarch Umberto IV and Canoness Adele

Notable Sisters:
 

The Lady/Saint Aliyah:

Canoness Matilda:

Sister Beatrix:

Sister Theone:

Mistress Seltis:
 

 

Organisation & Culture:

 

When the Order of the Devoted Knife take to the battlefield they do so with a deliberate and simple purpose.  Their strategy is always the same: Rhinos and Repressors surge forward under covering fire, transporting Battle Sisters at top speed towards the enemy formations; carefully coordinated with them is the arrival of Dominion squads in Immolators on the enemy flanks, targeting key emplacements and tanks; finally, Repentia and Penitent Engines smash into the fray, slaughtering any foe who sought to counter-attack.  The battle is swift, decisive and deadly, just like the stabbing of a knife after which they are so named.

Though the tactics employed are simple and straightforward, they are well-tried and tested to the point where the Order are now a formidable Imperial presence in the Segmentum Tempestus and often the first called upon when something goes awry in the local sector.

The Order follow a standard regimen of practiced worship and training that is the norm for Battle Sisters the galaxy over.  However, they have developed a number of idiosyncrasies and beliefs over the centuries that may be unique in the Imperium.  What follows is a more detailed examination of some of them:

 

 

Attire: 

 

 

No matter their battlefield role, be they Dominion, Retributor, or even Celestian; each Battle Sister is clad in dark power armour with pure-white accents and blue fabric.  Decoration (though still present in great amounts) is less present than in most other Orders, with only the Ecclesiarchy chaplet itself borne in a rich, gold colour.  This striking disparity better serves to highlight the glorious power of what each Sister serves.

The matte-black armour and Boltguns are made to favour function over form whilst preserving the ritually determined design.  Though their weaponry and armour may lack some of the flashy, even gaudy colouration of that of some Astartes chapters, the Order only fights in the very finest technology the Imperium of Man can supply.  Each Bolter, Flamer and Grenade is lethal to the enemy whilst every suit of power armour is pristine and precisely engineered by the Mechanicum.

A Battle Sister's hair is maintained to follow a standard style and colour.  Devoted Knife Sororitas are known to dye their hair one half blue and the other in black; the blue represents her dedication to the Order itself and all the implications that carries, whilst the black is designed to match her armour and equipment, thus marking her own body as a weapon of the Imperium.

Each Sister wears the symbol of the Order on the back of her skirt, yet also they display another image embroidered on their tabard that is unique to the owner and stitched themselves as part of their entry into the Sisterhood.  Such imagery is always a visual representation of the Sister's personality and a way of preserving some (carefully regulated) individuality throughout her service.  This tabard must be maintained frequently, for it is meant to stay with them for life, no matter what their station or rank.  Even a Repentia, though stripped of all her possessions and equipment, is allowed to keep her personal tabard.  After all, her repentance will eventually come to an end, one way or another, and so her identity will eventually be redeemed.

Though it is unknown how the practice first originated, the Hall of Devotees, a colossal chamber nearly half a mile long, is adorned with countless blue drapes of cloth.  Each is a tabard that once belonged to a Sister who has now passed; their names are long forgotten yet their personalities still remembered and present in every stitch for all to see.

 

 

Sister Superiors:

 

Clad in bone-white armour and white cloth, Sister Superiors stand out among the ranks of power armoured warriors both in appearance and in prowess.  Their look is intended to replicate the holy glow of the Lady Aliyah, such is her splendour and thus the Battle Sisters become more impassioned and eager in their duties.  Along with the change in armour comes a change in hair colour, with the previous black and blue combination no longer required after her elevation in the footsteps of the Lady.  Some Superiors will return to their natural hair colour, though many prefer to dye it blonde in an effort to better represent Saint Aliyah.

Superiors are recruited from the ranks of Battle Sisters, though only the most tactically minded, selfless and pious individuals are chosen.  Likewise, they are very skilled fighters who have proven themselves through the rigours of battle many times over.  A Sister Superior must be able to follow scripture and orders in equal measure, yet also possess the intelligence and wits to lead her squad to victory should they become stranded or cut off from the rest of the army.

Upon reaching the rank of Superior, the Sister's tabard is stowed carefully away and a replication is sewn in her honour, though with the original colours reversed.  This is a measure to preserve the original which will still be displayed in the Hall of Devotees upon the Superiors death, but also to increase the overall effect of her new look upon the morale of her unit.

Once a Superior has successfully led three campaigns (or sometimes sooner, if she has achieved a particularly remarkable victory) then she will become a Veteran Superior, and is allowed to display a Golden Fleur-de-lys upon her helmet or armour.  These experienced warriors are some of the most formidable fighters and tactically gifted amongst the Order's ranks.

 

 

Repentia:

Like most Orders, the Repentia of the Devoted Knife are made up of Sororitas who have committed some act of transgression or been found lacking in their duties.  The severity of these sins range from great to minor, yet all sins are equally valid ways of joining the Penitent host. 

 

 

Mistress of Repentance:

 

In battle, the Repentia are led by  Mistress of Repentance, a woman clad head to toe in black armour and red cloth, a firey sconce atop her brow marking her as a beacon to the women who fight around her; such is the frenzy with which Repentia fight, that such dramatic measures of demarcation are required to prevent accidents.

Though the life of a Repentia is essentially forfeit, Mistresses have a tendency towards maternal protection over their charges.  Each fallen warrior had the potential to be absolved of her sins and redeemed back into the order, after all, and so it is that a Mistress will do her utmost to prevent unnecessary deaths and temper the squad's fury; though this also has the added benefit of ensuring the Repentia remain focused and strike where they are most needed.

Mistresses are recruited to the position by order of the Canoness herself (or should she not be available and the need pressing, a suitable rank anywhere down to a Celestian Superior) with candidates taken from any squad at any time.  The reasons for a recruits absence from her usual position are not given, though it is a common practice for individual sisters to be sent on missions and errands, or even into isolation and prayer.  Once chosen, a Mistress' tenure can last from anywhere from a few months to several years, until another Sister is appointed to the role in her place.

Each Mistress has the authority of absolution over her charges, thus only she can determine when a Repentia has successfully repaid her debt and declare her sins forgiven.  It is a role that they take very seriously and with great care, for any misjudged declarations or careless decisions are detrimental to the Sister in question and are likely to land the Mistress amid the ranks of the Repentia herself!

Unlike all other stations in the Order, a Mistress does not wear her personal tabard or even the symbol of the knife. She is purposefully kept free of any identifying features whilst she fulfils her tenure, lest former Repentia harbour any ill-will towards them at a later date.  Thus a Mistress is a deliberately faceless, deadly and heavily-armoured presence whom the Repentia can rally around.

 

 

Repentia in downtime:

 

When not in battle, Repentia are treated civilly by other Sisters for they are to be admired in the measures they take to find redemption.  The Repentia always stay together, and sleep in the same chambers, their beds are simple mats upon which they lie on any unoccupied space.  Each fallen Sister will still attend prayer and sermon and perform her usual religious duties, as well as new ones designed to still her troubled soul and focus any misgivings into rage for the next conflict.

Only in private and amid the other Repentia does each woman unmask herself; upon entering the penitent ranks she will be shaven of head, thus the length of an individual's hair serves as testament to the length of her service.  A Repentia with even a short head of hair is a formidable warrior indeed.

Should a Repentia survive the ordeal and be forgiven, she will return to her previous station without any question or rebuke from her peers.  Her debt has been paid and she is once again as pure as any of her fellow Sisters.

 

 

Eviscerators:

The golden Eviscerators the Repentia use are a stark contrast to the function over form ideal that the Order follows.  These ancient relics are carefully maintained and writ with passages of holy scripture.  The immense chainswords are seen as guiding gifts to the Repentia, a simple yet overwhelming symbol of purpose that will lead the wielder to salvation.  The woman herself is merely a vessel through which the weapon can act.

After each battle the Eviscerators are collected from those who are fallen.  Several prayers are spoken in her name and that of the sword until it is purified once more.  The Sister who fell will be absolved of her sins and her tabard shall be hung amid the thousands of others in the Hall of Devotees.

[TDF]

I like the Mistress of Repentance keeping her identity secret. It's a nice touch. It gives the impression that repentance is not a matter of personal opinions but something consistent and impartial, based on the Emperor's laws and nothing else.