Coven of Dark Fates

Coven of Dark Fates
	;
Founding Dates:	Order of The Emperor's Tarot: 027M35; Became the Coven of Dark Fates: 241M36;
Territory:	Numet Sub-sector (AKA the Steel Saint Sub-sector)
Center of power	Hekate, Bastion of Dark Truths
Leadership:	Inquisitor Xen John; Mae Suhmers; "The Fallen Saint";
Forces:	2,300~ Fallen Sisters of battle; Thousands to Millions of liberated Heretics;

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Once known as the Order of the Emperor's Tarot, the Coven of Dark Fates is responsible for the spread of Chaos throughout the Ecclesiarch controlled Steel Saint Sub-Sector. At the core of this fallen Coven is the Rogue Inquisitor Xen John, who had caused the fall of the Order of the Emperor's tarot to Chaos, and the Order's former Prioress Sister Mae Summers. Together with an army of fanatical followers and a keen knowledge of the inner most workings of the Imperial Cult these two have begun a crusade of liberation freeing several worlds from the lies of the Imperial faith.

History of the Fall[]

Crusade of the Saint of Steel[]

Little is certain about the Crusade of the Saint of Steel, what is known is that the Numet Sub-sector and all the surrounding Sub-sectors were once beleaguered by the forces of chaos as well as the foul Greenskin hordes. During this time a unknown, and assumed, Adeptus Sororitas Sister emerged amongst the people of the Numet Sub-Sector upon the Sub-Sector's capital world of Asteria.

No man, woman or child saw the face of this Saint even after her passing, instead her steel helm was all any ever saw or knew her by. Instead the miracles she exhibited and her firey will to drive off the dark powers of chaos in the name of the Emperor made her seem as lively and understandable as if she had never donned a helm. With almost no support from outside their own sector the people of Numet within fifty years had driven out most of the Chaotic taint from their lands, while what remained of the Greeskin's might slowly withered and died.

With new-found zeal the people of Numet returned their lands to the service of the Emperor erecting mighty temples in the honor of their undying lord. Meanwhile a new Order of Adeptus Sororitas found itself around the Steel Saint. Naming themselves the Order of the Emperor's Tarot, as when the Steel Saint is near it is the only Tarot one will find themselves ever drawing, they began to vigorously re-teach the truths of the Emperor to the people of their Sector. However the Saint of Steel's life and Crusade would be cut short, tricked by chaos forces the saint was left alone with against several champions of the dark gods. While the Saint was victorious her life was forfeit, though her body never recovered her will, that the Order of the Emperor's Tarot watch over and teach the people of Numet remained.

Peace of the Order of the Emperor's Tarot[]

Following the Death of the Saint of Steel the Order of the Emperor's Tarot entered into their own golden age. Times were relatively peaceful for the Order, while the enemies of the Imperium are tireless and never ending, in the Numet Sub-Sector neither Chaos nor Xeno taint could lay hold. For nearly a millennium the Order lead the devout people of the Numet Sub-Sector and all the surrounding Sub-Sectors as they held back the tide of darkness with faith, fire and strength of arms.

With the Order of the Emperor's Tarot nearby local Ecclesiarchs boasted that the Numet Sub-Sector could be held by faith alone, often overlooking the fact that the entire sector in the said past millennium had also hosted the good graces of a powerful presence of Imperial soldiers and a fleet of Imperial warships all of which held the Dark Forces further at bay from the Numet Sub-Sector.

During this time the Order of the Emperor's Tarot served as a way point for a great number of traveling inquisitors, wandering Missionaries, and of course Confessors and Cardinals should they pass by the Sisterhood's abbots. The Order of the Emperor's Tarot in it's Millennium of relative peace had become a home of faith more-so than a militaristic order, though in the eyes of the sisters that was a sign form the Emperor himself of the power of their faith..

The voice of the Inquisition[]

The downfall of the Order of the Emperor's Tarot began near innocently enough. A single Inquisitor by the name of Xen John appeared in the Numet Sub-Sector hunting heretics, most notably a cult naming itself the Cult of Lies. In a move the Sisters though obvious he went to their Abbot seeking a place of refuge and assistance. Prioress Mae Suhmers answered the Inquisitor's request, seeking to prove her sisters in true battle and to serve the Emperor even more greatly than she had before she swore herself and her Covenant to the service of the Inquisitor until such a time as he had driven out the taint from within the Numet sector.

However what Xen John uncovered shocked Mae and her sisters, never had they imagined what this inquisitor would find had existed just beyond their sight. Instead of a small cult of foolish chaotic followers more and more signs of corruption within the Adeptus Terra and the Adeptus Mechanicus were found. Even the soft spoken words of the Inquisitor, muttered to himself when he thought that the Sisters could not hear him, went to further incriminate the other Organizations proving them further corrupted than the Sisters had ever feared.

Quickly the Prioress sent warning to the rest of the order, those outside the Adeptus Ministorum could not be trusted. Soon those of Mae's covenant began sharing tales of the corrupt nature of the Adeptus Terra and the faithlessness of the Adeptus Mechanicus, urging their fellow sisters to keep a wary eye on these waiting heretics. Few sisters listened to these warnings in the beginning, surely this was simply something born of inexperience and a weak faith. However soon enough events would prove to the sisters who doubted that indeed the warnings of Prioress Mae and Inquisitor Xen might indeed prove true.

Agents of Chaos disguising themselves as Magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus as well as forces of the dark ones from within the Departmento Munitorum, even some disguised as agents of the Adeptus Arbites worked together launching several coordinated attacks against the Ecchlesiarchy and the Order of the Emperor's Tarot. These attacks, followed by now convinced Ecclesiarchs and Sisters preaching against the Adeptus Terra and Adeptus Mechanicus, drove a widening wedge between the Adeptus Ministorum and it's two sister organizations. Urged on by further attacks and a unusual lack of Imperial aid, eventually the Order of the Emperor's Tarot lead the way demanding a purge of the Adeptus Terra and the Adeptus Mechanicus leaving only those they themselves knew were pure. While Xen and the local Ecclesiarchy supported the Order's decision, the Adeptus Terra and the Machine Cult cried treason declaring the Order as radical traitors to Imperial Throne.

Fall of the Order[]

Soon Numet was wreathed in civil war, on one side the Ecclesiarch, the other, the forces of Imperial rule in the Numet Sub-Sector. The nature of this war devastated the Ecclesiarch in Numet, churches were torn down and many a preacher and devout follower of the emperor was gunned down by foreign Imperial Guard forces. But the damage to the Imperial rule in Numet was just as severe as frenzied followers of the church slew any that the Confessors and preachers of the church deemed corrupt, without a second thought. Marginally protected from this the Order of the Emperor's Tarot was able to watch in silent horror as, in their eyes, the Imperium tore itself asunder and more corruption than ever before came pouring through the wounds.

The long worked plans of Xen Drake worked as he had intended. The Ecclesiarch and the Imperium in the Numet sector were at war with one another an no mater which side won his benefactors would reap the reward. Over the years as he pretended to search for heresy, creating false cults and heretics around the Order, Xen had prepared the sisters. With unnatural tongue he introduced dark thoughts to the sisters' minds, and with great deception he caused the sisters to spill blood which would serve to subtly taint the souls of the entire Sub-Sector. Now with his plan coming together and Numet ripe for it's fall, Xen turned his attentions to the last obstacles in his path.

First he began with Prioress Mae and her Covenant, these sisters had long been closest to Xen John and each of his most subtle corruptions had accumulated within them. By this point, unless he could cause these women to fall into the darkness then the corruptions within their hearts would eventually come to notice, enlightening the Ecclesiarch to the true Heretic. Beginning with Mae, he privately visited each of the sisters using his unnatural tongue, his otherworldly charms, and corrupting logic he eventually caused them all to one after another submit to his will, each sister pledging their allegiance to Xen. For those of the Covenant who did not fall quickly Xen used the might of those already taken by the warp and dark sorcery to bind their souls forever dooming them to the madness of the warp.

From there Xen turned on the rest of the Order, subtlety attacking the leadership rotting their very souls from within. Xen's betrayal was never noticed until he finally turned his attentions to the Order's Canoness Superior, whom was considered likely to become the next saint of the Numet Sub-Sector, as the two meet the entire order was gathered outside the primary Abby on Asteria. What transpired between the Canoness Superior and Xen's enthralled sisters is unknown, however even as Xen and the Canoness faced one another the alarm was raised. Soon Battle Sisters raced to the defense of their Canoness only to find their own barring the way, and the sisters entered into the civil war of the Tarot. For days the still loyal sisters fought their own who had been twisted by the acts of Xen John and his followers. The civil war would continue for eight days until on the eighth hour of the final day a cry of dismay echoed from the Canoness' chambers.

Soon Xen and the Canoness left her chambers, the Canoness was enveloped in the corruption of chaos so thickly that it seemed to reach out further corrupting the sisters who laid eyes on her, causing more to turn and serve Xen's dark will. The resistance of the Order continued even long after each sister had set eyes upon their Canoness, however now the soul of the entire order had been thoroughly tainted and many sisters even forgot for what reason they were resisting Xen and his followers only that they were. By the days end over half the Order had died, and the last vestiges of resistance in both the sisters and the canoness had faded into the furthest recesses of their minds. With the fighting over Mae stepped forward, she declared the former canoness a "New Saint", herself as the next canoness of the order, and that the order was to be renamed as the Coven of Dark Fates.

The Coven's Rise[]

With The Coven of Dark Fates behind him, Xen John began to march against the planet Asteria. The Sisters who once served the Ecclesiarchy turned their weapons against the churchs and preachers of the Adeptus Ministorum, a great many devout followers of the Ecclesiarch were gunned down brutally by the sisters of the Coven. As the major cities of Asteria watched their churches burned the sisters turned swiftly against the offices of the Administratum and the Adeptus Arbites, despite already being alerted to the coming of the sisters and reinforced to deal with the political upheaval due to the religious civil war the Sub-Sector was undergoing the two branches of the Adeptus Terra lasted now more than a couple of hours against the sisters who were set towards their destruction. Last Xen turned his Coven against the governor's palace, the Governor Xen threw down himself, slaying the man while prattling off accusations of treason against the Throne as if speaking a private joke, Xen would then raise the governor's youngest daughter and a member of the Coven to rule in the former's absence.

With Asteria conquered, the Coven of Dark Fates began demanding that new temples be raised over the ruins of the old. These new temples would depict the Emperor as the Coven saw him, the fifth and final chaos god with the other four standing at his side. While the corrupted sisters watched over them the people began the harsh work of rebuilding what the sisters had torn down. Meanwhile the Coven oversaw a religious rebirth amongst the "stagnant" people of Asteria and as their corruption spread amongst the population spreading like a chaotic fever, the sisters deemed the world to be undergoing a rebirth and as such renamed the planet, from then on the world was known as Hekate. Two years later Imperial forces would learn of what had happened upon Hakate, but unfortunately, or by Xen John's design a number of chaotic warbands would attack the Sub-Sectors surrounding the Numet Sub-Sector and a fleet of devoted worshipers of the God-Emperor, unaware of what had transpired would take position over Hekate bearing tidings and good will from the Ecclesiarchy.

Xen John and the sisters deceive these messengers from the Ecclesiarch, welcoming them while singing praise to the emperor and they accept them into the deepest reaches of the Coven's Abbey. What transpired inside is unknown, the truth lost as only the messengers truly understood what decree from Terra they carried, however shortly after Mae Suhmer stepped out from within the Abbey she lead her corrupted sisters and their hoards of twisted followers on the attack. Using confusion to their advantage they assaulted the ships of the Ecclesiarch taking them all by storm, as the bays opened up for they emissaries of the church they instead found themselves welcoming the hoards of chaos. After four days of fighting the flagship of the Adeptus Ministorum fleet, Divine Right, again opened it's bays now greeting Xen John and the former Canoness Superior, now going by the title as The Fallen Saint. From Hekate the now desecrated fleet would draw froth a army which would carry the twisted words of the Coven of Dark Fates to the unenlightened worlds of the Numet Sub-Sector and begin a crusade of truth throughout the surrounding sub-sectors.

Militants of the Coven[]

Sisters of the Coven[]

The central power of the Coven of Dark Fates is the former sisters of the Order of the Emperor's Tarot. Their power armored forms and fanatical zealotry, leftovers from when they served the Ecclesiarch, both terrify and inspire the heretical forces about them. The fall of the Order of the Emperor's Tarot was so sudden and confusing for most sisters that many still believe themselves to be in the service of the Imperium even as their core beliefs and values have been corrupted beyond recognition.

Sister of Battle[]

They were once the centerpiece of the Order of the Emperor's Tarot, devoted Sisters of Battle whose prayers, flames and Bolters caused immense fear in the followers of the Dark Gods. Now however they sing hymns of madness, comprised of lyrics no mortal throat should sound, while their weapons strike out at the very church they once were blindly devoted to. For each of these sisters the story for this is different, some had the blessing of Xin's private attention, others were brought into madness by the unnatural uttering of their sisters, some where driven mad by the corruption about them, yet some still were bound to the darkness by dark spells, and yet others still were born into this darkness and eagerly sought out and joined their fellow sisters of chaos.

The Weeping Sisters[]

Born of the Despair of a great many sisters who, retaining a portion of their minds and true loyalties, were forced to watch as their bodies performed unspeakable acts of debauchery, blood-lust and the unnatural. The grieving broken souls of these sisters attracted the attention of the Plague God, who soothed their pain the only way he knows how. Now each sister of this sub-sect weep tears of corrosive plague, their corrupted bodies giving thanks and praise to the Emperor and to Grandfather Nurgle for their new forms. Since coming into Nurgle's influence these sisters often behave in a celebratory manor hosting feasts of rotten food, and visits to lakes of the sisters own corrupted tears. These sisters on the battlefield, wield weapons thoroughly corrupted by their god, flamers that spew corrupted vomit, bolters whose bolts were each drenched in the tears of the sisters, and blades covered in the sisters own waste. The use of these sisters as troops of horror and infection requires little mention.

The Daughters of Wrath[]

Once they were the sisters who violently tried to resist the spreading corruption of their Order. However the corruption of the Order was far further than these sisters ever imagined, they themselves were corrupted within their souls without knowing. As the sisters fought their blind rage attracted the attentions of Khorne the Blood God. These sisters slowly degraded as the battle continued on cries of righteous indignation and praises of the Emperor, and became shouts of blood lust and cheers of victory. After each of these sisters fell to chaos they became little more than weapons, either wandering about aimlessly and passively or in a battle rage mindlessly killing. These sisters mindlessly fight and attract the attention of their new god, as well as drawing new members to their number, as cultists and fallen sisters lose themselves to the mindlessness to slaughter and wrath.

Sisters of True Faith[]

The Sisters of True Faith are the ultimate elite within the Coven of Dark Fates, these few select members out of each of the fallen sisters are the only who truly accepted the heresy of Coven of Dark Fates. Without binding spell or forceful magics these sisters were coerced into the service of Xen by his maddening logic alone. Since then they have received greater attention from Xen and his mad teachings, these favored sisters preach Xen John's twisted faith to all who can hear and in turn serve as both cornerstones for the moral of the heretics beneath the Coven and as a means to furhter spread Xen John's corrupting influence. In terms of war-gear these sisters are the most spoiled of the Coven, each receiving the top choice of arms and armor. The Armor of each Sister of True Faith is covered in chaotic runes and wards granting the wearer additional protection and further reinforcing the corruption of the wearers soul while also a specialized psychic hood has been added to their armor allowing the taint within their voices to spread further as they preach of heresy.

The Faithful[]

Even as the Ecclesiarch was thrown down in the Numet sector, replaced by the teachings of Xen many of the people in the Numet sector still saw the Order of the Emperor's Tarot as the centerpiece of their faith. Now with the Imperial forces tearing down their long standing churches and the Sisters of the Order turning to new ideals the people quickly followed, hoping that their new prayers and forms of worships would remove the horror of war from their worlds, or at least alleviate the pain. Within months vast swaths of the Numet Sub-Sector's population had turned to follow Xen John's ideals or completely fallen into the embrace of chaos. Out of these throngs the sisters gathered their new army of fanatical followers.

The Fate Sworn[]

The Elite of all heretic forces to swear themselves to the Coven of Dark Fates. These forces travel with the Harald of Truth fleet of the Coven, ready at any time to charge forward slaying the enemies of the Coven. Often they would be treated as a screening force for the heretical Adeptus Sororitas sent forth in small waves to judge the strength of a enemy or to slow a certain enemy advance. However despite their treatment as a weak tactical sacrifice the Fate Sworn are the best trained and equipped of the heretical followers of the Coven of Dark Fates.

Each Fate Sworn is given Carapace armor to help protect the wearer and lengthen the lifespan of the Fate Sworn so they might keep pace with their traitor Adeptus Sororitas counterparts. This armor also includes built in support equipment such as a individual vox-set, helmet mounted illuminators, and copies of the Coven of Dark Fate's holy texts. While the armaments of each Fate Sworn may vary they are typically armed with specialized auto-guns that function more like stubbers, heavily modified Las-Carbines, assault shotguns as well as rocket and grenade launchers.

The Enlightened[]

These are the helpless masses, those who were once unenlightened to the truth about the Emperor but thanks to the Coven granted understanding of the true state of their Imperium overlords and the lies about their god they had been taught. The masses lead in their zealous rage by the Coven of the Dark Fates will typically arm themselves with whatever weaponry they can acquire as well as whatever dark blessing the sisters and the local chaos cults can provide before throwing themselves viciously against the oppressive machine of the Imperium that had denied them the truth the Coven had reviled to them. However such troops are scarcely more effective than your average citizenry and are of little consequence to the Coven of Dark Fates, for if they die it was fated as such.

Seers of Fate[]

The Seers of Fate are what few psychers from within the clutches of the Ecclesiarch the Coven of Dark fates could rescue from their horrendous fates. However even rescued by the sisters of the Coven few of these are expected to survive as the sisters have very precise demands of these psychers and will harshly treat any who do not meet their expectations. However those few women who survive the demands of the Coven and adapt to the ideals of the Coven's leader Xen are blessed in the eyes of the sisters often placed before most others. These Seers of Fate are used to decide which world the forces of the Coven will next invade as well as assists in weaving the spells of 'enlightenment' revealing the truth to the souls of the innocents upon whichever world the Coven sees fit to liberate from the lies of the Ecclesiarchy and the Imperium.

Technically Non-combatants, the few Seers of Fate within the Coven are highly guarded resources. However when placed upon a battlefield their spells often will begin twisting the souls of the enemy making them more accepting of the truth the Sisters preach. Meanwhile in situations where the Seers of Fate can must battle themselves each is a high level psycher with a vast arsenal of powers at their disposal.

War gear[]

Weapons of the Coven[]

The Coven of Dark Fates uses a simple variety of weapons most of which are carry overs from when they served the Ecclesiarchy. However many of these tools of war have either been rededicated to a new force or replaced with a weapon more suitable to their new faith.

Used by the Sisters of Battle[]

The Former Sisters of Battle amongst the Coven of Dark Fates typically rely upon the same weaponry they had once carried before the fall of the Order of the Emperor's Tarot. As such there is very little diffrence in their combat style and equipment then that of their loyalist counterparts.

Power Armor
Bolters
Heavy Bolters
Auto-Cannons
Flamers/Heavy Flamers
Multi-Meltas
Chain-Swords
Power-Swords

Used by the Weeping Sisters[]

Dedicated to the Plague God the Wargear of the Weeping Sisters has been thuroughly tainted by their god, allowing each sister to happilly spread their diesease even further while battling in the name of the Daemon Emperor and of Nurgle.

Corrupted Power Armor: Corrupted by the powers of the Plague God these suits of once holy armor now serve as the home of thick swarms of flies which further spread plague and diesease while also disrupting weapons fire
Infested Bolters: The Bolters of these sisters are drenched in the infected fluids of the weeping sisters, making these weapon's rounds into living diesease.
Bile Spewers: Once holy flamers, now these weapons spread the infected juices of the Weeping sisters so all may share in their grandfrather's embrace.
Plague Knife

Used by the Daughters of Wrath[]

The Daughters of Wrath have no true preferance in wargear, they simply kill when placed on the battlefield. However close combat weapons have been noticed more often with these mindless servants of Khorne and eventually their gear matched their new role as close combat infintry.

Power Armor
Bolters
Chain-Swords
Chain-axes
Power-Swords
Power-Axes
Mutant Claws