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Origin of the Order of Our Martyred Lady by Joey Konyha

After Vandire's death, Sebastian Thor struggled to rebuild the
Ecclesiarchy. Due to the restrictions placed on him by the Decree
Passive, Thor could only keep one force under his direct control, the
Daughters of the Emperor. Unfortunatly, they were still burning with
shame from Vandire's perversion of their purpose and beliefs.  Despite
this, members flocked to the Daughters. Thor reorganised them, molding
them into the Adepta Sororitas.  To protect them from Administratum
meddling, and prevent any reoccurence of Vandire's treachery, Thor split
the Sororitas into two Convents, Prioris, which would remain on Terra,
and Sanctorum, which would move to one of the biggest strongholds of the
Imperial Cult, Ophelia VII.  During Thor's reign as Ecclesiarch, the
Daughters grew from four  thousand, to well over  10,000.  Later, Thor's
successor, Alexis XXII, further split up the Convents into the smaller
Orders.
Alexis XXII gave them names from old Imperial Cult legends. The names
the Orders Militant  were given were the Orders of the Argent Shroud,
Ebon Chalice, Valorous Heart, and Fiery Heart. Each recieved about two
thousand hardened warriors to form the core of the Order. The Orders of
Valorous Heart and Fiery Heart were based in Convent Sanctorum on
Ophelia VII.  Ebon Chalice and Argent Shroud remaned on Terra.  Alexis
XXII also created a myriad of other Orders, so that the image of the
newly created Adepta Sororitas would not just be of gun weilding
religious fanatics. He also formed the Orders Hospitaler, responsable
for hospitals and caring for the sick, Orders Dialogis, to spread the
Emperor's word to all through translation to the lower languages of the
Imperium, and the Orders Famulous, who served with the families of the
Imperial Lords, so that the Ecclesiarchy can keep a close eye on them.
There were also an assortment of smaller Orders created, spread
throughout the Imperium in order to spread the Emperor's Light.

After the death of Vandire and the end of the Reign of Blood, the
Imperium remained in turmoil for centuries. The damage done by Vandire's
neglect and brutality was immence. Because the warp storms that divided
the Imperium continued for many more years, Imperial law was absent on
many worlds. One of these was the agro world of Barataria

In 572/ M36, with disorder still gripping much of the Imperium, the
Imperial Lord on Barataria, Lord Zynder, taking advantage of a sudden
warp storm that isolated the system, declared that the Imperium had
collapsed, and that he was the Emperor of the New Imperium. The storms
in the warp meant that it would be a long time before Terra would learn
of this treachery.
Lord Zynder moved to crush all opposition. His first step was to
eliminate the biggest threat to his power, the Thunderbirds chapter of
the Space Marines, based on the desert world of Lapalco, located in the
same system as Barataria. His plan was to move with his Imperial Guard
regiments and storm the Thunderbirds fortress-monastary, destroying all
of their relics and gene-seed bio-tanks, thus basicly destroying the
chapter. However, loyalists learned of this, and managed to warn the
Thunderbirds. The loyalsts were discovered and killed by Zynder's
troops. They are, so far, the only non-Space Marines honored wth a
burial in a Space Marine  fortress-monastary anywhere in the Imperium.
Their sacrafice enabled the 2nd, 6th, and 9th companies to escape, along
with all the gene-seed and relics of the Chapter. This is known as the
Night of Sorrow, and the escaping Chapters were called the Remnants.
When Zynder attacked, it was a brutal bombardment from orbit. The
monastary was demolished, and many civilians were killed. The suviving
Space Marines surrendered when they learned that Zynder threatened to
virus bomb the planet. The Chapter calls this the Time of Fury. They
were taken to Barataria, and marched through the streets. During this
event, remembered by the Thunderbirds as the Day of Shame, a lone voice
spoke out.

A small group of the Order of the Fiery Heart was on the planet,
selecting new members from the Scola Progenium on Barataria, when the
storms isolated them. The Canoness who was in charge of the recruitment
party, Katherine, spoke out against the ill treatment of the Marines.
Zynder was awed by the beauty of the Canoness. He decided he wanted her
as his Emperess. Telling her that he would negotiate the release of the
Marnes, Zynder invited Katherine to his palace, ordering her to come
alone. Katherine suspected a trap, but still agreed. When she arrived,
she was shown the corpses of the Marines. Zynder told her that they were
traitors to his New Imperium, and thus was the fate of all traitors. He
then showed Katherine a vast treasure, collected from the Thunderbird's
coffers, and from around Barataria and the Imperium. He promised it all
to her, if only she would marry him. She refused. For many years,
Katherine was imprissoned in a tower of the palace, while every day
Zynder offered to free her if she married him, and everyday she refused,
saying "My love is saved for only the Emperor, for He is truely my
Protector, my Father, my Shield. No telling how long this would have
lasted if there had not been a break in the warpstorms. News went out
from Barataria. Soon reinforcements would be moving into the system.
With the break in the storm, news could flood in from beyond the system,
and the people learned of the treachery of Lord Zynder. When a mob tried
to storm his palace to force him out, they were masacred. 350,000 people
were slaughtered. When news of this reached the HQ of the 23rd
Baratarian Regiment, it was decided the time for force was at hand.
Having harbored some of the escapees from the Thunderbirds, the 23rd was
truely a powerful force. However, the Royal Guard, with hundeds of tanks
and thousands of warriors behind adamantium walls, were stronger. For
weeks on end, the 23rd and the Remnants bombarded the walls, attempting
to breach them and find Zynder. Zynder, meanwhile, had been driven to
near madness by Katherine's refusals. Deciding pain might convince her,
he ordered the slow torture of Katherine. The cruel wounds, deep, jagged
cuts that rended her skin inflicted tremendous pain on her, but she
never waivered, never cried out. Prayers to the Emperor were all that
passed her lips. After nearly 7 months of constant bombardment and
battle, the 23rd and the Remnants were nearly spent. With reinforcements
still several hours away, they readied a last ditch attempt to take the
Palace. They prepared to charge the High Gate, and attempted to storm
the Palace. To their horror, nearly an entire company of tanks rolled
out to meet them. They were outnumbered nearly 4 to 1. Regardless, they
attacked with a ferocity unparalelled. However, soon the numbers began
to tell, and gradually they were begining to be thrown back. The 23rd
and the Remnants prepared to fall back, lift the seige, and go into
hiding as the sun started to dip below the mountains.

Suddenly, a blue glow flodded the battlefield. All seemeed to stop, time
seemed to freeze. A vision formed in the sky, one of a beautiful woman.
All recognized her. She was Katherine, clad in a white robe, with black
armor. She brandished a sword, a blood red shield at her feet. In a
boomng, yet calming voice she spoke. "Fear not, warriors of the Emperor.
As my spirit joins Him, I beseech you! Go forth and conquer His foes!"
Inspired by the vision, the 23rd and Remnants charged forward. As
surviving traitors stated after the battle, they saw the same vision,
but it had warned them to give up their fight. Many did, and most turned
their guns on their former comrades. Soon, the loyalist forces breeched
the walls, just as Thunderhawks bearing some of the Remnants plunged
from the sky, landing inside the Palace walls.  More Fiery Heart Sisters
joined the battle, swarming out of Thunderhawks borrwed from the
Thunderbirds that the Remnants were not using.  The reinforcements were
landing. They stormed the palace, and found Zynder, alone, caressing the
bloodied body of Katherine.

The final tortures were the worst.  "If I could not posess her beauty,
none would," he whispered, staring at her skull. The skin had been
flayed and peeled from her face. Blood glistened on her body, the floor
and the table. A dozen bolters leveled on Zynders head. A Battle Sister
strode in, stared at the body of Katherine, then turned to Zynder. "I am
Canoness Maria. I am the commander of the Sisters sent here to liberate
this planet from your Heresy. You are charged with Murder, Heresy, and
Treason. I find you guilty. The punishment is death."
Several of the Remnants approached Zynder, forcing him down to his
knees, bending back his head as Canoness Maria prepared to make the
death blow with her power sword. Zynder began to sputter "You can't kill
me! I am the..." Canoness Maria silenced Zynder with a savage kick in
the throat. All watched as Zynder slowly died. Turning to the Canoness,
one of the 23rd's Commisars said, "There is a place in the Mausolium of
Remembrance for this Martyr. She will have a place of honor."
The Canoness' voice seemed to thunder. "No. She is our Lady. Her service
and faith to both our Order and the Emperor was without flaw. We will
honor her in our way. Her homeworld was this one. She belongs here." The
Order did honor Katherine. When she was named a Saint, the Order changed
its name to Order of Our Martyred Lady, and the icon for the Order was
changed to the Cross of St. Katherine, depicting her as she was when
found after Zynders defeat. The Orders cathedrals, banners, and shrines
all feature images of the Miraculous Vision, which is Katherines most
enduring miracle.