Order Of The Armoured Heart
| Order of the Armoured Heart | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Battle Cry | "The Emperor is our Strength and our Shield!" | |
| Daughters of | Order of the Bloody Rose | |
| Homeworld | Pyraxis I | |
| Strength | Full | |
| Allegiance | Imperium | |
| Colours | Crimson and Burgundy robes, with Black armour | |
"I do not believe in using females in combat, because women are too fierce."
- – Margaret Mead
The Order Of The Armoured Heart is a /tg/-created and illustrated Sororitas Order, devoted to the use of close combat and melee weapons, notable for eschewing power armour for their core troops in favour of monk robes and unique, strength-enhancing carapace armour. They have an intense hatred of Dark Eldar and Khornate berserkers.
The Order Of The Armoured Heart[edit]
"The Order is notable for it’s devotion to martial arts and melee weaponry, usually warriors eschew cumbersome power armour in favour of carapace armour under monk robes, and the use of a special metal that absorbs and redistributes kinetic energy to fight more armoured opponents, making even the youngest Sister capable of breaking bone and shattering armour. When fighting against large-scale forces, they equip both normal power armour as well as power swords and thick shields, the Mother Superior leading them wielding His Claws and directing her sisters to absorb enemy fire. They do not eschew the use of flame weapons however, and many times a foolish general has tried to defeat them with an army of massed tanks, only for their quickness and use of melta grenades to cripple such attempts."
History of the Order[edit]
The Order's spiritual liege, Lady Catherine, was born on the feudal world of Pyraxis 1 to a noble family, she lived a life of pampered luxury, but found herself taking a great interest in martial weaponry.
When Catherine’s father joined a Chaos cult that rose to power in the world’s capital city, she protected her mother and younger sisters from the cultists in only a nightgown, wielding a ceremonial spear that had been hanging on a wall. After joining the defence, and with the help of newly arrived reinforcements from the Imperial outpost of the planet, she was successful in killing the cult's leader.
However, she found, to her horror, that a Hellbrute- intended to be used as a secret weapon by the cult- had murdered her remaining family. After hunting the heretical creature down, she duelled it with ceremonial power swords and, despite taking mortal wounds, crippled it by cutting out the pilot with a desperate final blow. The resultant explosion killed Catherine instantly, though the destruction of the Chaos Engine signalled the end of the revolt.
After the Imperial priests of the planet declared her a martyr and a saint for the Imperium, a Holy Edict was passed down from the highest branches of the Ecclesiarchy to form a new Minor Order of Adepta Sororitas on Pyraxis I. In keeping with Saint Catherine's martial skills, along with the native preference for close quarters combat, the Order was built around radically different tenets concerning combat doctrine, much to the chagrin of the priests who had sanctioned the Order's creation to begin with.
The Order's Homeworld[edit]
Pyraxis I is a mostly agrarian feudal world, though the urban centres that surround the grand Fortress Cathedral in the capital are vast. In orbit, Imperial shipyards, as well as it's occasional proximity to a material-rich asteroid field, makes Pyraxis I part of an invaluable supply network for neaby forge worlds. The native history and culture bears a strong resemblance to certain ancient Terran societies, with a continental split between distinct cultures. Due to a history of cross-cultural discrimination, the Order strives to keep a fifty/fifty split between both groups, in both the makeup of the battle groups and the relics that the Order possesses.
As part of the Imperial Tithe, Pyraxis I also supplies a modest supply of regiments for the Astra Militarum. Soldiers from Pyraxis I are reported to be 'fiery, with a somewhat unnatural preference for close quarters combat. Damn near suicidal for a Guardsman, but they occasionally pull it off' in the words of one off-world officer.
The Rebellion at Italica[edit]
Sister Charlotte emerged from the aged wooden doors of the Order's fortified chapel, wincing slightly as the giant doors creaked open. As her eyes adjusted to the bright daylight, Charlotte struggled to keep her calm as she surveyed the blasted hellscape that their divine fortress-city had become.
For two weeks the Sisters had offered shelter to the panicking masses inside the sanctified training ground, halting all exercises and readying every weapon at their disposal for what they assumed was a typical riot of near-heretical malcontents. Such events were increasingly normal- neighbouring systems had been engulfed in war, preventing much needed Administratum deliveries from reaching the system. However, as they received reports of even the stalwart Arbites falling in battle, the Sisters prepared for war.
As she descended the path down towards the main gates, Charlotte began to feel herself slipping into a dark reverie. She remembered how, after days of fighting against what turned out to be a vile Chaos cult, she had watched as hundreds of civilians bled and died at her feet, cut down by traitorous heretics and desperate scavengers alike. She remembered the bloodied and scarred flesh of sacrificed men and women, still warm from where life had graced their pallid frames.
She was snapped from her thoughts as she reached the main gate, the cold, rusted metal shuddering as a distant explosion rocked the ground. Through the small viewports, Charlotte peered out over the ruins streets, and as she observed the telltale signs of old slaughter and violence, her Mother Superior’s words echoed in her ears:
“Suffer not those who would inflict pain on the innocent, those who would maim and burn the flesh of our charges like stone under chisel. These traitorous monsters, these hateful fiends- they deserve only a thousand fold in return”
Grimacing with barely contained fury, Sister Charlotte readied her halberd, casting a quick glance over the polished metal pole as she gave it a reflexive spin. Even though it was as long as she was tall, she flourished it as if it were a twig. The head of the weapon- freshly sharpened- glinted in the daylight, making it appear golden for a split second.
Contented with her weapon, Charlotte checked her armour. Her ceremonial bracers, as black as obsidian, were secured by worn leather straps, as were her greaves. Her chest plate, emblazoned with the Imperial Aquila, shone proudly under the sun, swathes of rich burgundy cloth doing little to shade the slowly heating black armour from the relentless heat. Satisfied with her armour, Charlotte murmured a prayer to God-Emperor, praying to Him for His favour in the coming battle. With well practiced finesse, she made the sign of the Aquila across her chest as she finished her prayer, and with that, she opened the main gate.
The true horror of the ruins of Italica were laid bare to her as yet another explosion rumbled in the distance, a thick, oily plume of smoke rising from behind row upon row of smouldering hab-complexes. Beyond the bombed out ruins, Charlotte could just about make out the distinctive silhouette of the Governor's Palace, engulfed in flames as the main tower collapsed before her very eyes.
One by one, the other sisters joined her in looking out across the city, each one mute in horror as the once beautiful world burned before their very eyes. As Sister Anna approached, another mighty explosion tore across the horizon.
"That was the promethium refinery," Anna grunted, absent-mindedly swinging her mace in a lazy arc, "Filthy heretics, why didn't we notice the corruption sooner..."
Charlotte shrugged- nothing she could say would offer Anna any solace. Better she use that righteous anger in whatever happened next. With a weary sigh, she turned to face her assembled sisters, raising her staff above her head to get her comrades' attention.
"Sisters," she shouted, meeting each of the gathered warriors' eyes with her own, "Fight by my side, for glory of the Emperor!"
They didn't need to respond with words, the cries and screams of fury that rose behind her as she turned to charge into the ruins was enough to spur Charlotte forwards.
Whatever happened next, she would not suffer the traitor to live...
Notable Members Of The Order[edit]
Canoness Superior Boudicea[edit]
Originally the second in command of Canoness Superior Brunhilde, Boudicae served for over a century in the Order. During an attack on a nearby shrine world, she led a contingent of Sisters against the Aeldari raiding party, successfully executing a coven of Witches in the attack. Upon returning to her superior's location however, she watched as Brunhilde was overpowered and seemingly killed by an Autarch. Filled with righteous rage, Boudicea took up the Order's relic power sword and duelled the xenos to a standstill, keeping him occupied until reinforcements arrived- she even managed to grievously wound him, slicing off the fingers from his dominant hand, forcing him to flee. Fortunately for the Order, Brunhilde survived the encounter, but was deemed no longer fit for combat. As is customary, command was passed down to Boudicea.
Later engagements saw Boudicae defeat a Drukhari Archon in single combat, much to the his successor's approval. Since then, Drukhari raids on the Pyraxis system have seen a noticeable increase, with some theorising that certain Kabals are actively trying to capture as many Battle Sisters as possible, with some going so far to suggest that the Order's unique fighting style makes them ideal combatants for Commorragh's gladiator pits.
Canoness Alyysia[edit]
One of the Order's premier Halberd users, Alyysia was trained by Canoness Superior Brunhilde herself. After being promoted to the rank of Canoness after the events on Orbiting Penitentiary #656, she earned a reputation for reckless battle tactics and a low casualty rate, to the strong approval of her admirers and the bitter scorn of her detractors.
During a particularly debauched Drukhari raid in a nearby system, Alyssia was partially blinded after her squad ran into the Wych Cult Leader Lelith Hesperax. This incident, as well as and the raid on Firra, led to what is perceived by many to be a one sided hatred of the Order to the Dark Eldar as a whole, surpassing most Order's zealous attitude towards these Xenos. Currently she is awaiting a bionic to replace her eye, but has still managed to function as an excellent fighter on the battlefield despite her wound, if somewhat diminished, relying on her sisters in particularly fraught engagements.
Gallery[edit]
-
Canoness Superior Boudicea
-
Canoness Alyysia
-
"If a Marine can do it, so can we"
-
