Saint Katherine

This page is in need of cleanup. Srsly. It's a fucking mess.

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Saint Katherine Elysius was a canonized Living Saint of the Sisters of Battle.

Her rise to prominence coincides with the reforming of the Sisters of Battle as a militant force that was not bound to a very blatantly evil man, as she served as second-in-command to Alicia Dominica, the executor of said evil man, and even got to see the very thing they should have been worshiping.

She eventually formed the Order of the Fiery Heart and led them across the galaxy in a great many genocidal campaigns. It was at this point that she was canonized and discovered some very powerful gear (The Armour of Saint Katherine and the Ardent Blade).

She was eventually slain by a coven of witches, and her order renamed itself as the Order of Our Martyred Lady. Unfortunately, she didn't get to inherit the functional immortality afforded to Saint Celestine.

Triumph of Saint Katherine

"Don't drop her again, Janet, you daft bitch!"

One of the most curious additions and an absolutely gorgeous one at that; the 8th Edition Sisters of Battle Codex landed with the introduction of the "Triumph of Saint Katherine". Fluff describes it as a funeral procession for Saint Katherine crossed with an elite squad of warriors, empowered by the spirit of the saint as well as those of her fellow Matriarchs. Fans often compare the Fantasy army of Arthurian knights Bretonnia to the Sisters in terms of GW neglect as well as copious use of the fleur de lys, and the Triumph certainly resembles a Bretonnian model called the Grail Reliquae where the bones of a saint are carried into battle as a kind of warmachine.

Whats most interesting and unique amongst 40k units, is the way the procession is held and what these individual Sisters represent (As well as their abillities). The procession carries not only the skeleton of Saint Katherine, but calls forth the representative all six Matriarchs which symbolize the six main orders from the Sororitas. Though her physical remains of Katherine is visible, trying to take a unsanctioned peek may yield a power sword straight though one's anus. Those Sisters in the presence of the Triumph have been reported to hear the heartbeat and warmth of Katherine's spooky bits, whatever the hell that means (Psychic/spiritual residue perhaps?). The bier is flanked by esteemed members of the Orders Pronatus hand-picked by their respective Canoness Superior to join the Triumph. They not only curate the remains of St. Katherine but also take up the role of one of the six Matriarchs. This technically makes them the most powerful and badass posse of Bolter Bitches to ever stride across the battlefield. Due to the religious symbolism taken place, the chosen Sisters are said to become the spirit of that saint herself, embodying her strengths and virtues. They carry forth a holy relic with which the Matriarch is associated, further cementing their role.

The Spirit of St. Katherine - Order of Our Martyred Lady - walks at the front of the procession, wielding the Martyr's Sword in one hand and the Praesidium Protectiva in the other, the Praesidium Protectiva was once Saint Katherine's own shield and contains a shard of the Emperor's armor. As such, it helps protect the processional, as well as nearby Sisters.

The Spirit of Saint Dominica - Order of the Ebon Chalice - holds the Simulacrum of the Ebon Chalice, a black goblet imbued with ever-burning flame, this Sister embodies the Spirit of Saint Dominica. On tabletop, roll 1 D6 for every enemy unit within 6" at start of the shooting phase. Add 1 if a psyker. Add 1 if its a chaos unit. On a 5+ they receive D3 mortal wounds.

The Spirit of Saint Silvana - Order of the Argent Shroud - bears the Simulacrum of the Argent Shroud which is mounted on a banner atop her backpack. This sister follows at the back of the procession giving sermons and reading aloud the deeds of Saint Silvana, while the shroud above her depicts the skeletal remains of the Saint Silvana. On tabletop, when you perform an act of faith for a friendly unit within 6", you can increase or decrease the value of miracle dice by to a max of 6 or min of 1. But it's not affected by any other abilities that can also increase or decrease the value of miracle dice.

The Spirit of Saint Mina - Order of the Bloody Rose - carries the Petals of the Bloody Rose, clearing the minds of nearby Sisters and sending them into a blissful rage as well as being ritually scattered to symbolize the blood of the enemy spelt by the Red Saint before being martyred. On tabletop, add 1 for hit rolls for attacks made by friendly Adepta Sororitas units within 6".

The Spirit of Saint Arabella - Order of the Sacred Rose - with intoned prayers, swings the Censer of the Sacred Rose in her left hand, the censer burns with an eternal flame, imbuing nearby Sisters with the strength to spread the Emperor's truth with even greater zeal. On tabletop, she gives +1 Miracle dice each turn.

The Spirit of Saint Lucia - Order of the Valorous Heart - the last of the procession, holds aloft the Icon of the Valorous Heart; this pulsing icon brings strength to the warriors of the Imperium who hear its beat. On tabletop, once per phase, you can perform 1 act of faith for friendly units within 6" that has the Acts of faith ability, EVEN if you have performed one or more acts of faith that phase.

With how precious Katherine's bones are, it is unknown whether it is a good idea to parade the tomb of your most revered leader in the battlefield. One could imagine the theological and political clusterfuck if an enemy artillery blows up the entire procession along with the relics itself. This is 40k, though, so it wouldn't be surprising if the bones reappear after destruction. (note Coffin Dance). It's also not entirely clear that THESE are her literal bones. Sebastian Thor for example is kind of infamous for having far more 'relics' made from his bones then is literally possible.

Gallery

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  The saint in all her (past) glory.