The Order of the White Heart
Summary: The Order of a White Heart, encompassing all of the local Soritas in the Scandavius sub-sector, are righteous and holy defenders of the innocent, who have taken it upon themselves to shield the citizens of Scandavius from the worst that would seek to prey upon them. Where the Alfa Legion and the Guard take to the field against their enemies, the Sisters instead stick to population centers and refugee camps, guarding them from bloodthirsty xenos and the sinister grasp of Chaos.
History: Originally founded by Our Martyr Jolyene, a Prioress of the Valorous Heart who came to Scandivus over 500 years ago after her Preceptory was called in to establish order in the sub-sector. She and the accompanying Hospitaller Order were decimated in the following conflicts, both openly against their more outward enemies, and more subtly from traitors and infiltrators. So, in her wisdom to keep them united towards their common purpose, she united the scattered Orders under the banner of the White Heart, and led them into a new order of prosperity and righteous vengeance. The name was a combination of the two Orders, the Order of the Valorous Heart and the Order of the White Blade This came to a head during a Chaos incursion onto the planet of Harena. With the Legion preoccupied with similar incursions at the time, and the Guard not having time to mobilize itself, the Sisters stood as the main bulwark against the invasion. Alone and outnumbered, Jolyene sent out a distress call and would hold her ground with most of their fleet while a few of her sisters moved planetside to fortify. With nothing but the local defense fleet and her own small fleet, the Sisters held fast against the assault. Desperate to inflict some meaningful losses, Jolyene knew that the only way to buy time would be to cut the head from the snake. Having ion cannons target the heretical flagship, The Starscourge, Jolyene used her ship’s teleportarium to board the enemy vessel, appearing on the command bridge leading a squad of veteran Celestians Following the initial skirmish, most of the Chaos bridge was ablaze, and several marines and sisters had fallen. Jolyene herself squared away with the Lord leading the assault. A terrible clash of blades followed, Jolyene ’s own power sword locking with the twisted and daemonic spear of the Lord. They matched each other for a while, trading blows and parries amidst the flames, until the Lord managed to gain an opening and shot Jolyene through the head with his bolt pistol. Just as Jolyene slumped to the ground, and all hope of the Sister’s victory seemed lost, something occurred which has not yet been surpassed in the Order’s existence yet. The Miracle of Jolyene . An intense light bursted forth from the Canoness, and holy words echoed from her lips with an ethereal tone. What she said exactly depends on the Sister who reported, each one hearing a different litany, and each one remarking that it is the most inspiring one they knew. The Chaos Lord tried to strike her down a second time, only to find his spear caught in the Canoness’s steely grip. Then, with a scream that caused any of the surviving heretics to cover their ears in horrific pain, Jolyene snapped the daemonic weapon in half and unleashed a flurry of blows, not with her weapon, but with her bare hands. Each one punctured the twisted armor of the Chaos Lord like it was made of paper, and his corrupted ichor burned on contact with her holy hands. With a great flourish, Jolyene struck the Chaos Lord with such a blow that he was sent soaring, becoming embedded in the bulkhead of his own ship. Jolyene then gave the order to return to their ship, and with none daring to question her, the Sisters grabbed their dead and teleported themselves back to the safety of their own ship. And just as soon as they arrived, the Canoness took three steps forward, turned to her soldiers, and crumpled to the ground, dead. The bolt in her head had remained undetonated, but embedded in her brain. Her hands were shattered and bloody within her armor, and her arms had ripped themselves apart. The surviving sisters, prayed around her body, thanking the Emperor for giving her such power to do her duty on this plane. Outside the teleportarium, the battle raged on. Jolyene's plan to disrupt the fleet had worked, for the most part. Though their command structure could handle the loss of their leader on a ship to ship level, they were left disorganized and bickering broke out between the captains. The assault ground to a halt, as the unified Imperial defenders refused to give their ground. The battle raged on until reinforcements from the Alfa Legion and the Sub-Sector’s navy arrived, and with their help the Chaos fleet was routed into fleeing the system. Ever since that day, the Sisters have kept Jolyene as their highest paragon, and it is her name that each successor Canoness must take up as part of the title. There has been 5 others to take this title in the meantime, with the current Canoness being the 6th to take her place. Tactics: Concentrated on small teams able to defend innocent civilians, the Order of the White Heart is focused mainly on veteran Celestians and Seraphim, the former who protect the citizenry inside their Sanctuaries and the second who cleanse the streets and fields while searching for survivors. Most tactics revolve around minimizing civilian casualties through covering fire and harassing meant to draw attention onto themselves away from population centers and evacuation routes. They use some Chimera transports, but these are mostly used to deliver supplies and to protect civilian convoys. Organisation: The Order is led by a Canoness, who takes her seat on Armora. It is she that has final say on any and all decisions, and is expected to not only deal with the fickle politics of the sub-sector, but also be the Order’s greatest spiritual and military leader. Directly below her are the two Legatine Superiors (tradition dictates that one shall be elected from the Sisters Millitant, while one be from the Sisters Hospitaller), who each command below them around five Sanctuaries. Sanctuaries act as bases of operations, and are equal parts cathedral, hospital, and fortress. Each Sanctuary is led by a diarchy of a Celestian Superior and an Almoness Advance. Below them are the squads of Battle-Sisters led in the usual manner, and the staff of Sisters Hospitaller who are directed as needed by a management system rather than in squads. Forces: The Order currently numbers at around 1200 sisters (not including service staff such as servicemen and women, ship crewmen, and the like) spread out around the sub-sector around the Sanctuaries and some manning transports offering aid to those ship-born who might require their services. As stated before, their forces are highly veteran and trained combatants, being mostly made up of Celestian or Seraphim rank Sisters, with younger Soritas taking up a support role, using their versatility to fill the gaps those specialized squads leave behind. The White Heart has a proud tradition of swordplay, and most, if not all Sisters can be expected to be highly deadly in close-quarters despite their station. Notable Locations: Basilia-Fortress of Our Victorious Lady (The Victorious in layman’s terms), the largest sanctuary on Armora where the Canoness is stationed. Other Sanctuaries Notable Members:
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