User:Capt.Hawkins/Sandbox2

< Capt.Hawkins' Sandbox 1 &middot; Capt.Hawkins' Sandbox 3 >

EPF Articles ---

The Order of the Silver Hand is a minor order created by the Cardinal Volkov of the Argent Shroud to protect the convent on the industrial world known as Vakaria, located near the border between Segmentum Tempestus and Ultima Segmentum, near the warp storm known as the Vortex of Despair. Due to the everpresent threat of Chaos invasion, the order was meant to be well armed and trained, while also unquestionably devout to the Emperor.

The order was later forced to evacuate the planet due to overwhelming Chaos invasion and relocate to their new homeworld on planet Zoyra, which is part of the Europan Planetary Federation, a small and independent, yet still faithful stellar empire.

Early years
With the increasing presence of Chaos forces in the area, Cardinal Volkov called for a creation of an Order Militant, that would protect the Vakarian convent. The Ecclesiarchs agreed and several years later, first female recruits, mostly native Vakarians joined the ranks of the new, Adepta Sororitas order. They received superior training and were well supplied with weapons and vehicles, yet the numbers still lacked. From planned twelve thousand Sororitas, the total number never got over eight thousand. The cause was a lack of interest and poor living conditions of the general population, that rather worked in factories to support their families. The governor did not care.

Invasion and Departure
Several decades later, blood-red ships emerged from the warp and launched an assault against Vakaria. The planetary governor was incompetent and did not care about the population, thus the PDF forces were underequipped, undertrained and generally badly organized, so the invasion was more or less unopposed. Some commanders organized ad-hoc groups to defend some crucial installations but were helpless against the hordes of Chaos militiamen. The sisters tried to put up a fight against the hordes of invaders, and effectively, but whenever they encountered a group of Chaos Space Marines, it usually didn't end that well. The governor himself, being both incompetent and cowardly, left the planet in his own personal shuttle. With the fight being hopeless, both the PDF and sisters retreated into more remote areas, regrouped and planned.

Several weeks later, the plan was finished all things prepared. The sisters will launch an all-out mobile assault against the starport, hoping to punch through and get to the shuttles. Remnants of the local PDF were to support them with the few IFVs, tanks and artillery pieces they still had, all while gathering as much civilian population as possible along the way. Meanwhile, the Angel of Astraea, the only Imperial ship on orbit, would get into position and when the last shuttle lands, she will depart. The action as a whole was successful, but the resistance was greater than expected and a large number of brave men and women died that day. Survivors were evacuated into orbit and departed towards the nearest known Imperial planet, Europa Prime.

The ship's warp engines were damaged and the Navigator killed, so she could make only short, blind jumps through the warp. It took them sixteen years on a cramped ship and one pirate attack before they crossed the Nebula and docked on the Torus.

New home
Upon arrival, they were greeted well, however, something felt wrong. The ecclesiarchs found out that the Europa had segregated from the Imperium. The ecclesiarchs threatened and intimidated the Europans and a shootout almost broke out, but then Alexandra, a living saint herself intervened and negotiated the terms of their stay. The Emperor's light still shines in this system, after all, and people needed guidance.

The covent was re-established, mostly in the same way as it was back on Vakaria, only with some limitations over power and autonomy, to ensure it can't become too influential and will remain responsible to the Federative Council, a highest governing body of the Europan Federation. They chose Zoyra as their new homeworld, as it is a place of tranquility and harmony.