Palatine

"God-Emperor, grant Your mercy to this virtuous soul, whose life and death were given in Your service. Grant her a place at the foot of the Golden Throne, that she may be a beacon of shining light to those of us who fight on in Your name."

—From the funeral rites of Palatine Eliza of Kharsk

The icon of the Adepta Sororitas

A palatine is a high-ranking officer of the various orders of the Adepta Sororitas who is often responsible for commanding a Sororitas Mission among the Orders Militant, or acting as a trusted second when an order's canonness takes to the field.

Palatines wield considerable political influence within the Imperium of Man and often work side-by-side with Inquisitors and Astra Militarum generals to defend Humanity it its darkest hours.

Role

Though well-versed in the scripture, the saints, and the daily devotions of the Imperial Cult, the palatine's purpose is to lead her fellow Adepta Sororitas. Many palatines remain predominantly militant and train both themselves and those in their charge as such.

The transition to the rank among the sisters of the Orders Militant is generally straightforward. A talented battle-sister who has been tested on the field of battle is promoted through the ranks. Typically battle-sisters are chosen from the ranks of the sisters superior who are already beacons of faith for the other battle-sisters in her combat unit.

As the leader within a Mission, a palatine must harness the fiery, passionate faith in the God-Emperor of her youth and cultivate that same flame in her charges. It is by virtue of their positions that many palatines find they must work alongside such odious company as Radical Inquisitors or even a xenos diplomat. It takes an unshakable faith in the God-Emperor to put such long-held hatred aside and then resummon such fury later when the palatine must bring holy condemnation to treasonous former "allies."

In many ways, a palatine serving with an Inquisitor walks in two worlds: the world of her order and her faith, and the world she serves as a Throne Agent. It is a treacherous path to walk, as each foray into the field with the Inquisition risks exposing an entire Mission of Sororitas sisters to the heresies she has witnessed.

As with others of similar station in the Imperial hierarchy, a palatine is defined largely by the company she keeps. The Orders Militant rarely move outside of the normal circles of the Departmento Munitorum, the Ecclesiarchy, and occasionally the Inquisition.

The presence of the Sisterhood in these arenas has provided both the Astra Militarum and the Ecclesiarchy with valuable guidance and bolstered the spiritual health of the Imperium as a whole. It has also served as an important network of advisors and allies for the Inquisition, particularly the Ordo Hereticus, halting heretical activity before it spreads.

When heresy rears its head, it is often the Sisterhood leading the way forward to fight it. Though the majority of her time is spent in preparing the next generation of Sororitas sisters, a palatine in battle is truly a sight to behold. Often carrying a holy relic of her order or the highest quality weaponry and armour the order can supply, she brings solar decades of combat experience and an intimate knowledge of Heretics to bear on the battlefield.

Guiding her troops from the front line, she accepts that any battle could be her last and, should it be her fate, she will be commended to the Emperor's side.

Notable Palatines

Erika Luminas, palatine of the Order of Our Martyred Lady

• Erika Luminas - Erika Luminas is a palatine of the Order of Our Martyred Lady. She's a ferociously zealous and experienced war leader. Her dedication to the God-Emperor and to her order's sainted martyr, Saint Katherine, manifests as fearlessness that many outside her order have mistaken for recklessness. Her sisters, who devotedly follow her curt battle cant and inspiring sermons in the deafening fog of war, know better. Luminas is possessed of a selfless dedication to service and an instinctive willingness to do whatever is necessary to enact the Emperor's will. In countless Wars of Faith, Luminas has turned apparent defeat into crushing victory, courageously storming enemy firepoints and assaulting the foe's elite warriors. Luminas inspires those battle-sisters who survive to fervent acts of bravery, seeking any way to be by her side. In desperate last stands, the hands of the Emperor are believed by some to shield them, rewarding their faith with divine guidance. The palatine has led successful, though bloody, strikes against a host of enemies, yet none fill her with more rage than desecrators of the holy. When a sorcerous plague unleashed by the forces of the Death Guard began to ravage War Zone Metalica in the Charadon Sector during the Era Indomitus, Palatine Luminas and her forces were sent on a vital task to aid the Imperium. They were charged with finding the bones of an Imperial Saint, Saint Jheraldine, which would bolster a protective ward around the sector's most vital Imperial cities. Their search led them to the metropolis of Purity City on the Shrine World of Martyr's Rest, which unfortunately had just been turned into a deadly arena by Drukhari led by the Succubus Lelith Hesperax. This was because the Succubus intended to use Purity City as a battleground to prove once and for all that she was the best gladiator in Commorragh. Luminas' forces clashed with the Drukhari as the Adepta Sororitas searched the city for the saint's bones in what became known as the Battle of Martyr's Rest.

Palatine Zoraya Matriana of the Order of the Sanctified Shield.

• Zoraya Matriana - Palatine Zoraya Matriana is the senior ranking sister of the preceptory of the Order of the Sanctified Shield. Although numbering only a thousand sisters widow, a curious twist of fate meant the vast majority of her order were present in the Gilead System at the opening of the Great Rift, and they wield influence far in excess of their numbers. When the ageing Canoness Athenasia died shortly after the eruption of the Cicatrix Maledictum, Palatine Zoraya assumed overall command of her order, though she refused to declare herself canoness until she could make contact with the Abbess Sanctorum to have her position formally ratified. The ranks of the Holy Ossuary have swollen with numerous sisters of other orders. With the war for Balthazar now well underway, Palatine Zoraya has assumed overall command of the war zone, with the full support of the local Ecclesiarchy. Some senior sisters, most notably Sister Dogmata Valatia Rimesk, have spoken out against her command, considering it inappropriate that a relatively young palatine of a minor order should assume authority of other, more senior sisters from the Ordos Majoris, but for now Zoraya's hold on power remains firm. Like the rest of her order, Palatine Zoraya wears armour the colour of bleached bone, with crimson vestments lined in gold. Her Sabbat Pattern helm is crowned with a filigree circlet of golden leaves; she carries a Godwyn-De'az Pattern Boltgun, while an exquisitely-crafted power sword hangs at her right hip. Burn scars cover the majority of her face and shaven scalp, and a red augmetic glows in place of her left eye. She wears her battle-scars proudly as a mark of the God-Emperor's salvation. She is a compelling and charismatic speaker, and a figure of tremendous inspiration to the majority of the sisters under her command.

Sources

• Dark Heresy: Heresy Begets Retribution (RPG), pg. 6
• Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 27
• Warhammer 40,000: Piety and Pain - Rulebook (9th Edition), pg. 5
• Wrath & Glory: Redacted Records 2 (RPG), pp. 37, 41