Prophet Zeresh
The Prophet Zeresh is the founder of the Order of the Blue Thorns. Her age prevents her from joining the field like her sisters-in-arms, but she is no less loved, feared, or respected. Indeed, it was her visions as a young pilgrim girl that foresaw the rebirth of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman, and her dogged belief in this prophecy against all odds has carried her through centuries of troubles.
Zeresh was once the child of a communal group of pilgrims who journeyed to Macragge to gaze upon Guilliman as he slumbered in stasis. The voyage had been long, with the original pilgrims leading it having set off centuries beforehand, now long dead, and their far removed descendants now carrying along the journey. Zeresh' mother did not even know who her daughter's father was, but this mattered little: like all children aboard her pilgrim-ship, the community stuck together and cared for their young together.
It was here, not two months away from finally reaching Macragge, that Zeresh had her first visions.
She saw Guilliman, a demigod who's face she had never seen outside of wildly differing drawings, rise, flaming sword in hand. She saw him stand against a horde of bubbling darkness and the oppressive weave of cosmic forces. She saw him kneel, and plant a seed in soil as pure and blue as his armour. This seed grew into a mighty rose of brilliant blue flowers, weaving around him and his armies, strengthening them. And with a glance that pierced into Zeresh' soul herself, Guilliman looked into her directly, and the rose shed its brilliant blue petals, and embraced the cold purpose of steel thorns. She beheld as the rose of thorns ripped into the enemies of mankind with as much fervour as any of the regal warriors who fought alongside the risen Primarch, and wept tears of joy, for she knew that this was no mere dream, but holy premonition.
Zeresh would never see the voyage reach Macragge. The pilgrim vessel was attacked, but Zeresh had forseen this. While she was unable to convince many, she gathered as many as she could to move across the large vessel, nearer to the saviour pods. Those who joined her were suddenly grateful when their pilgrim-ship was attacked by a raiding party of Chaos Space Marines. As the reavers slaughtered through the defenceless pilgrims, Zeresh chose to save the few who had trusted in her visions, and fled the ship.
After several weeks adrift, they were found by a rescue team of Sisters Hospitaller, who had tracked the trajectory of the pods from the recovered pilgrim-ship's logs, after Ultramarines forces had swept the derelict vessel clean as it neared Macragge. Zeresh had acted like a leader to the pilgrims, and the Sisters noticed this. She was taken to the highest ranking Sororitas on hand to be personally commended for her faith and shepherding of the faithful. In return, Zeresh shared her visions with the Sororitas.
It is not known what Zeresh was forced to undergo, but it is known that, as expected of the Adeptas Sororitas' suspicion of the arcane, Zeresh went under many trials to test for any witchsight or psychic gifts. And yet, despite years of these tests, Zeresh emerged pure, and more faithful than ever. She was immediately inducted into the Sisters of Battle, where she became a warrior who continued to let her visions guide her to victory. As a Sister Superior, as a Palatine, and as a Canoness, she led her fellow Sisters with uncanny foresight and faith. Over her decades of service, she shared her visions with the sisters she served with, and gradually, the seed of her rose of blue thorns grew. Eventually, she petitioned to found a new Minor Order, and after much deliberation, her superiors agreed. Over three thousand Sisters agreed to join Zeresh, and the newly founded Order of the Blue Thorns departed from their former convent.
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