Editing Maria Vespa (section)

==Resurrection and influence==

Despite her death being recorded, eyewitnesses across the Galaxy continued to report sightings and deeds by Maria Vespa during the early years of M31.  She would typically be recognised intervening on the behalf of otherwise doomed Imperial soldiers.  The beneficiaries of her actions were almost always the men and women of the Imperial Guard, and for this reason somewhat dubious.  However, Sergeant Quietus of [[the Entombed]] Chapter claimed that Maria Vespa appeared to help his squad put an end to Chaos raiders on the world of Norus in 067.M31 and the word of a Space Marine is not lightly dismissed.  Orthodox Inquisitors generally believe that these events are best explained by the psychic entity simply reforming a new body in realspace, in a similar manner to Demons.   (Thankfully, no chaos demon has been encountered that shows quite the same faculty for doing so as Maria Vespa.)

Such appearances poured fuel on the fire of belief and Marian cults expanded greatly in the centuries after her death.  Their organisation was highly martial and centred on fortified convents and abbeys.  Marianism was most popular in the Segmentum Obscurus, with the faith centred on Magdala and other pilgrimage worlds where the Star of Morning was known to have fought.  Although this large, well-armed organisation certainly registered as a potential danger, Imperial governors were mollified by the great numbers of Marian warriors who answered the call to war against the enemies of mankind.  In time many convents became ''de facto'' recruitment and training centres for the Imperial Guard.