Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25684606-20180404122401

"There is no place for the weakwilled or hesitant. Only by firm action and resolute faith will mankind survive. No sacrifice is too great. No treachery too small." -Liber Doctrina, Ordo Hereticus, Chapter XXVIII, Exterminatus

Despite having lasted over the whole morning, the thick carpet of dark clouds covering the sky eventually ripped apart into small clusters of creamy white and grayish-blue. Revealing the bright blue sky underneath, rays of sunlight fell on Lachar, Sylvain’s largest city. Gusts of wind carry the smell of incense and the sound of prayer from a million throats and the ringing of bells from a thousand towers up from the cathedrals, churches and chapels to the gates of the Convent.

You stand at the top of a set of marble stairs, flanked by 3 meter tall and 1 meter wide stone plates, engraved with the tenets of the Ecclesiarchy and crowned by its sigil. In front and below you, the stairs part and circle around the landing platform, reconnecting behind it and leading down to the streets of the city. Exactly 1000 stairs connect your Convent, the home of the Order of the Vermillion Tears, with the city. Counting and climbing them was part of exercise for every day of the past years.

Behind you, the Convent itself rises, erected on a mountain that had once been a Hive city. The golden, 6 meter tall gate bears the motif of Sister Roselle prior to her ascension to sainthood. She is the center of the gate, clad in ornate Power Armor she wields a Holy Flamer, its flames pictured by a myriad of red, orange and yellow gems that glisten and sparkle in the sunlight. Surrounded by other Sororitas, she is the only one not wearing a helmet, her long black hair depicted by inlaid, polished wood the color of coal. The flames gushing from her weapon encompass the writhing, deformed figures of mutant placed at the bottom of the gate. In the background, towards its top, one can see the ancient Hive cities of Sylvain burn and crumble. Recalling this motif from your mind and bringing it down in paintings and drawings is one of the first tasks novices are given and success is ensured by the Drill Abbotts and their switches.

Flanked by two banners bearing the Order’s crest, the face of  Roselle with 3 vermillion tears falling from each eye and eternally lit by torches fueled with Promethium and incense, beyond the gate stretch the halls and chambers of the Convent. Alcoves with statues of Imperial saints and heroes line the walls of the corridors and paintings of their deeds, sacrifices and achievements hang in the dining hall, the dormitories, the library and the gymnasium. The only place exempt is the Chapel erected beyond the central yard and directly opposite to the entrance gate. The only decoration it features are thick tapestries depicting the Emperor.

The courtyard itself is the heart of the Convent, with all other wings being aligned to the cloister surrounding it. In its center stands a statue of Saint Roselle, 8 meters tall and crafted from wrought white gold. Clad in Ornate Power Armor, marble wings grow from her back, folded as she is sculpted hunched over in sorrow. Black wood forms long strands of hair framing her face, which faces downward and is partially covered by her hands. Only by standing directly underneath her, one is able to witness the expression of deep sorrow on her weeping visage as a constant stream of crimson water falls from her eyes into the pond surrounding the marble pedestal supporting her feet. On the front of the circular, conical pedestal, a polished, oval, crystal window is recessed into the stone, revealing the grave of Saint Roselle behind it. Wearing her original Power Armor, with the hands folded over her chest, her corpse is bedded on the lotus flowers growing in the bond. Ebony hair surrounds her now skeletal head like a halo as the tomb is illuminated by the sun beaming through the crystal lid and shattering into a myriad of colors. Covered in Purity Seals and hung with pendants of the Ecclesiarchy. Many pilgrims climb the stairs to the Convent every day to kneel and pray in front of Saint Roselle, begging for cure from their illnesses and ailments or strength for enduring that of their loved ones.

Today was an exception, however. As you and 3 other Sisters were about to leave the Convent for their first quest in service to the Emperor, the large gate at the bottom of the mountain has been kept closed. From the early morning on, you have been prepared for your departure. Starting with the morning prayer in the Chapel featuring only you four and the Canoness, Mireille Borreau, over a brief meal in the refectory, to receiving your weapons in the armory. Each of you is handed over the vermillion Power Armor and the white robes of your order, along with the blessed weapons of your role on the battlefield. Finally, moving past the rows of other novice and veteran sisters, you stepped through the golden entrance gate to await the arrival of a vessel taking you off-planet for your duty.

Eventually, the signal lights surrounding the landing platform being to flare up in steady intervals of green flashes, heralding the coming of the awaited aircraft. After a moment, you are able to spot it in the distance, a black dot dropping from the sky, eventually slowing down and approaching the Convent in a wide arc. A Valkyrie, pitch-black and lacking any insignia or markings aside from the sigil on the Inquisition. It hovers briefly over the platform before rotating in the air, turning its tail towards you. Then, it descends, landing with a brief rasp of steel on ferrocrete. The pneumatics hiss and the rear hatch descends slowly, forming the ramp once it has opened fully. The lights in the cargo bay flash up, revealing that it’s empty. 