Who is Belestine, the Living Saint? Not to be confused with her more famous counterpart – their similar names are just a coincidence, I assure you. 

This steadfast warrior wasn’t always so holy. Belestine was raised in a convent of the Adeptas Sororitas, on a tiny Shrine World on the fringes of Imperium space. Albeit clumsy, slightly frail and prone to the night sweats, she was well on her way to becoming a fully fledged Sister of Battle. That was until ‘The Incident’ which involved the deaths of 33 high-ranking members of the Adeptus Administratum, the most frustrating administrative and bureaucratic division of the Adeptus Terra. No tears were shed, but the law is the law.

If not for her flawless record up until that point, Belestine would have been put into the Mortifier, or buried deep in the dungeons where the light never reached. Instead, she was thrown into the next cannon fodder wave of Repentia, where her Sister Superior directed her into an especially rowdy Ork camp, in a quest for redemption, armed with nothing more than a poorly maintained Eviscerator Chainsword, tabard with the wrong scripture, and faith.

The entire squad of Repentia was lost. It was a slaughter. Except…

Eight, bloody hours later, Belestine walked out alive, covered in green blood, allegedly resurrected in a harsh, holy light. Why? That question should be rephrased as a prayer to the Emperor. The words from the Superior were, as noted at the time: “Holy living shit, is that – what the hell? Are you kidding me?” which was most unlike the usual candid poise of a Sister Superior.

Her new moniker, Belestine the Barbarian, took hold under the fevered breaths of her sisters, as she left on a personal quest, fuelled by vague visions and promethium-flavoured caffeine. A motion to get her trialled as a witch was denied by the Inquisition, for she was now a weapon of the Emperor.

Months later, Belestine returned the Order of the Prayer Obscur, with armour of untarnished steel, an even bigger chainsword, a new gun, an Inquisitor, and a new vision of war on Sangua Terra.

Canoness Clair, of the aforementioned Order, repeated the holy scripture of that Sister Superior who first witnessed Belestine’s ascension many months ago, before redirecting her Piety Class Cruiser to the Nachmund Gauntlet.