Drusus Paternostra

Drusus "Tristan" Paternostra is a void master on a rogue trader's ship. He is a psyker mutant talented with divination and foresight, yet his ability is much hindered by the utter loathing he feels towards his mutation. Dilligent yet inconspicuous, Drusus has proven himself as an important member of the rogue trader's crew.

Early childhood
Drusus was born into a poor void-born family on the Universe-class Mass Conveyor Fair Virgin Elynn of the Merchant Fleet Calixis. Its vast crew consisted of multiple serf castes, bound to the ship by family, possession and profession. Only the command crew changed from time to time, as the ship travelled a relatively safe route from the Great Cloud to the Drusus Marches.

Drusus' family, the Paternostras, were associated with the lesser clergy aboard the Fair Virgin Elynn and served the Pontifex Astra Harun Bellomo. Paternostras were craftsmen all and their main products were the prayer beads and rosaries. Pontifex Astra Harun, as his predecessor, had held the Paternostras in high regard for their crafts were very beautiful and very unique tokens which almost every crew member aboard Fair Virgin Elynn held in his arm. The Paternostra rosaries were something Harun Bellomo was proud of, as the spiritual liege of the vessel, and he personally patronised some of the more expensive materials used in the most elaborate rosaries such as Ravanese pearls, sunburst agates, artificial diamonds of Lo and even bones of holy men. Harun Bellomo took a special interest on Drusus Paternostra, who joined his father from a young age when presenting the newest and finest rosaries to the Pontifex Astra.

Even with the special interest of Pontifex Astra, the Paternostras lived humbly in poor conditions in the crew quarters near the conveyor's stern. Mutations and malformations within the crew were somewhat common, much of the water used by the crew was irradiated or otherwise toxic due heavy metals and acids in it, mecidal facilities were nonexistant and inbreeding within the small population was a serious problem. Drusus Paternostra suffered from aortic stenosis from a very young age, possibly triggered by high acidity levels, and he was sickly, tired and wan. A medicae personnel in 88 Tanstar navy depot fixed Drusus by replacing his heart with an artificial one but not before his physical development had suffered. He was pale - even paler than the void-borns usually are, gaunt, frail and constantly tired. After the heart bionic, Drusus began to recover and his cheerful attitude was liked by many aboard Fair Virgin Elynn.

Youth
At the age of 13, after the bionic heart transfer, Drusus joined his father's enterprise as an apprentice. Drusus' father was displeased by Drusus' lack of skills, Drusus was also very slow to learn and the amount of expensive material he destroyed was intolerable. Self-flagellation became important part of his daily rutines. As the craftsman's skills were seemingly beyond Drusus' abilities, his father arranged him a place within the Pontifex Astra's office. There Drusus took care of Pontifex Astra Harun Bellomo's papers and data-slates and attended the old preacher in many important matters, learning all about the Ecclesiarchy while doing so. Harun Bellomo had great interest towards the Emperor's Tarot and divination was one of the few hobbies he could afford some time. As Harun Bellomo introduced Drusus to the Emperor's Tarot, he became suspicious about the boy's true nature, for his divinations were usually extremely accurate and more precise than the common, undetailed and approximate divinations made with the Tarot.

News about the mutant uprisings on Tranch reached the Fair Virgin Elynn too, for Tranch was on its regular route. By the pressure of Cardinal Kregory Hestor of the Drusus Marches, Pontifex Astra Harun Bellomo launched a propaganda program on Fair Virgin Elynn which preached against the mutants and their right to live. Captain of the ship launched full scale seek-and-destroy operation within the ship after it received boarding troops from the 88 Tanstar navy depot. Blast doors were closed and the sections of the ship were isolated as the troops purged all visibly mutated during the following fifteen days. Stench of promethium and burning flesh filled the ship and over twelve thousand crew members were killed during the operation. All the while Drusus was attending the old preacher in his chambers, far from the screams, the smoke and the horrors of Imperial Creed.

The purge of Fair Virgin Elynn's crew did not serve anyone. Mutations found aboard were not chaotic by their nature but merely disorders and disablements from the lack of sufficiently nurtured food and hygiene, and exposure to chemicals and heavy metals aboard the modest living living quarters of the serfs. Many felt their rights and way of living violated by the actions of the Imperial Navy yet many felt finally safe and were grateful of the captain's actions. As a sort of a compensation for the families on Fair Virgin Elynn - now mocked as the Red Virgin Elynn - Pontifex Astra Harun Bellomo arranged a new route for the ship. Stopping at the hive world of Lo, ship took over 300 thousand pilgrims in addition to its regular manufactorum products of Loi Metalworks Armoury and travelled to the shrine world of Sentinel. Drusus Paternostra attended Harun Bellomo as the preacher's armiger, while taking the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Saint Drusus.

Equipment

 * Paternostra rosary from the starship Fair Virgin Elynn