Celestian
The title "Celestian" in the Daughters of Verity is a courtesy honor, not a military rank or a stage of religious formation. In theory, any Sister - novice, professed, even a Seraphim and especially a Palatine or the Canoness - can be a Celestian.
The Celestians of the Daughters of Verity are those who have received a military decoration either from a different branch of the Imperium's war-machine or from a government (planetary, segmentum, or even the High Lords) of the Imperium. The Daughters themselves do not award honors (they see themselves, first and foremost, as a religious order rather than a military force, and consider no act of valor or sacrifice "over and above the call of duty") but the wider Imperium does and the Order allows members to accept them. A Sister so-honored may not pin it to her habit (that is her vestment as a member of the religious community) but she is required to wear it on her battleplate (which is her uniform as a member of the Imperium's military).
In addition, she is required to have her her personal weapon (usually her bolter) plated with precious Terran gold. Even though the layer of gilt is microns thin, the value of such a holy metal is astronomical. Gold is recovered from the weapons of dead Sisters and reused, with the rest coming from a precious cache of ancient Terran jewelry and coins they add to whenever possible.
Because of the unique theology and outlook of the Sisterhood - extolling total yet prudent sacrifice as not heroism but rather the minimum required for duty - to receive a decoration for military service is not a source of pride, but almost embarrassment. If it were not for the inability of Daughters of Verity to lie or be lied to, they might obfuscate or downplay their role in military campaigns in order to avoid winning medals. As it is, they receive the awards with gracious shame - whatever they did, they always feel it was nothing more than merely their duty.
The golden bolter marks the bearer out from her Sisters - not for mockery or disdain; such things are anathema to Verity's close-knit family, and because they prize truth about everything they know no medal was awarded to a lying glory-hound - but as an exemplar of the Imperial warrior.
The Canoness and Palatines often assign a Celestian other squads - perhaps as a cool head to guide novices, perhaps as an adviser to a Princeps Autem Corpus, or perhaps leading a corpus herself. It is very common for the Order to elect Palatines who carry a golden bolter (and, of course, Palatines tend to be more commonly decorated by other services because their actions are visible and obvious to the less-egalitarian and more-hierarchical Adeptus Munitorum). It is very rare a Canoness is elected who has not received multiple decorations from other services.
Another way the Order utilizes Celestians is deployed together in an elite corpus, often accompanying a senior member as the equivalent of a command squad. These Sisters are experienced fighters whose bravery and commitment to the Imperium has not only been proven time and time again, but also recognized by those outside the Order. In addition to providing tactical advice to the Canoness or Palatine, they are devoted to their charge and willing to take a bullet for her if the need arises.
When a decorated Daughter dies, the gold is removed from her weapon and goes back to the Order's vaults to await the next awarded Sister. Her military decoration - the medal or pin itself - is (along with all other insignia) is removed from her armor. They go back to the armory; the arms and armor waiting for a young woman raised from Postulant to Novice, the insignia waiting for a Novice making her profession. The foreign decoration itself is affixed to the plinth of the statue of Sanguinius Triumphant in the Crystal Cathedral; the Order of Our Crystal Lady venerates the Primarch-Saint as the exemplar of military service. Gradually, over the years and decades, a mosaic of decorations is built up, remembering the Order's military service.
Qualifications
Must have received a military decoration from a military force other than the Daughters of Verity
Accoutrements & Equipment
As standard for military deployment, but her personal weapon is plated in Terran gold
Celestian Habit, Battleplate & Arms
Type
Religious, Military
Reports directly to
Related Organizations
Related Military Formations
