Augusta Santorus
Augusta Santorus is a Sister Superior and twenty year veteran of the Order of the Bloody Rose.[1]
History
Lautius
When the Missionary Lysimachus Tanichus sent word to Ophelia VII about possibly discovering an ancient cathedral dedicated to Saint Mina on Lautis, Augusta immediately volunteered to discover the truth of the matter. She was told, however, that Lautis had been out of contact with the Imperium for millennia, until Tanichus arrived to reconvert them to the Imperial Cult. Though the world could have now potentially become a staging area for the forces of Chaos or Xenos, Augusta was determined to find out if Saint Mina once walked its surface. However, as her squadron and Tanichus searched the cathedral for evidence of the Saint's presence, they soon discovered that a large Ork horde was approaching it. Augusta, was unwilling to abandon the holy site to the Xenos and both her squadron and Tanichus opened fire upon the Orks. With the element of surprise, many of the Orks fell, before the Xenos finally swarmed the cathedral.[1]
In the fierce fighting that followed, Augusta clashed with the horde's Warboss, but the Xenos managed to grab hold of her. She was then shocked, when the brute laughed and told her the Orks had known the Sisters would be in the cathedral. Before the Warboss could kill Augusta, however, her Battle Sister Viola pointed her bolter at the Ork and ordered him to put the Sister Superior down. The Warboss paused and it was then he discovered that his horde had been miraculously killed by the Sisters. This caused the Warboss to let go of Augusta, and she demanded to know how the Orks discovered the Sisters would be in the cathedral. The Warboss shrugged and simply explained that they were Blood Axes and the horde had come to take the Sisters' weapons for their own use. With that, Augusta knew her squadron had been betrayed and the likely suspect was Tanichus. The Missionary was the only one on Lautis, that knew the Sisters were coming to search the cathedral. Augusta then ordered her squadron to find Tanichus, while Viola killed the Warboss when he grabbed a nearby grenade. Tanichus meanwhile had tried to escape, before he was captured by the Sisters and brought before Augusta.[1]
Though he pleaded his innocence, Augusta pronounced Tanichus to be a heretic and told the missionary he should confess to save his soul. A terrified and sobbing Tanichus then admitted to his crimes and said the Orks had been destroying the world's villages, before he arrived. The Missionary was in a village near the cathedral, when the Orks approached it and in order to save the village's population, Tanichus made a deal with the Xenos. If the horde spared the village, he would bring the Sisters to the cathedral, where the Orks could then kill them and claim their weapons. But the Missionary swore he knew the Sisters would kill the Xenos and he was still loyal to the Imperium. With the truth now revealed, Augusta pronounced that Tanichus would die for his betrayal, which had cost the life of her Battle Sister Kimura. But she told the Missionary, that Lautis and its population would now be under the protection of the Order of the Bloody Rose. With that, Augusta executed the still pleading Tanichus, by slitting his throat with her Fleur-de-lys punch-dagger.[1]
Lycheate
While en route from Lautis to Ophelia VII, Santorus and her squad under Melia Kaliyan receive new orders after detecting a distress symbol from one of Lycheate's moons. There, they meet Inquisitor Istrix and Imperial Guard elements, who inform them that the moon has become a haven for Heretics under former Interrogator Scafidis Zale.[3a] The squad alongside Inquisitor Istrix and her retinue battles through heretics, questions arise as the Inquisitor seems to spare Zale, who is revealed to be her former disciple.[3b] Battling through a mob led by an Ork Freebooter, the squad eventually tracks down Zale in the moon's manufactorum. A battle soon erupts when the squad opens fire on the Greenskin, despite Istrix insisting the Sisters hold their fire.[3c] In the ensuing battle against Zale's followers, it is revealed that Istrix has been psychically controlled by the heretic Interrogator the entire time. Imperial Guard Corporal Mors kills Istrix, while Zale launches a psychic assault upon Augusta and her sisters. In the end, Melia Kaliyan is able to kill Zale with her Flamer.[3d]
Santorus and her squad next come into conflict with the Heretek Tech-Priest Rayos, who also has been operating on Lycheate. Melia is demoted for having to killed an Inquisitor under suspicious circumstances, while Augusta is made squad commander.[4a] Moving on Rayos alongside reinforcements from the Order of the Bloody Rose, the Sisters move on the primary Heretek citadel under Canoness Elvorix Lanthe. Battling through Kastelan Robots and Skitarii under Rayos' control in an assault led by Repressors, Exorcists, and Immolators, the Sisters are eventually able to secure a manufactorum on the outskirts of the citadel and Canoness Lanthe suspects Rayos made be working with other Hereteks from Incaladion.[4b] Augusta alongside Imperial Guard forces under Mors fight through a hidden tunnel entrance of the Citadel as the rest of the Sisters launch a frontal diversionary attack.[4c]
Augusta's squad and the Guardsmen are able to reach the central forge-temple of the Citadel, where they encounter not just Rayos but also her master, Magos Dominus 01-Vius.[4d] In the ensuing battle, Melia is able to kill Rayos with her Flamer while Mors is slain by Vius. The Sisters are able to disable the Void Shield generators around the citadel, giving them only 90 seconds to flee before orbital bombardment begins. However Augusta stays behind to make sure Vius dies, eventually killing him with her Chainsword. The orbital bombardment destroys the citadel as Augusta and the rest of her squad narrowly escapes.[4e]
Letum
At some point, Augusta and her squad became stranded on Cemetery World of Letum and interacted with the mysterious and possibly heretical Order of the Broken Sepulchre, much to their dismay. Upon investigating Letum, Augusta discovered that the world has a Xenos-derived magnetic field which forces ship to crash on its surface. Further investigations revealed that the Sisters had been sacrificing their young to the fierce storms around Letum for millennia, believing the maelstrom to be a manifestation of the Emperor's power. However Augusta discovers that they are actually worshiping the slumbering beings beneath the surface, revealed to be Necrons. The Sisters above Letum's surface were apparently unaware of the true nature of their sacrifices. Augusta was able to destroy the central Necron obelisk at the center of the underground tomb complex, ending the storms and cycle of sacrifice. In the aftermath the Canoness of the Order vows to undertake a Crusade of penance which would begin by purging Letum of any further xenos taint.[6a]
Opal
Augusta and her squad were next dispatched to the world of Opal to retrieve the skull of Saint Veres, which is a holy relic used every 800 years in a festival on the world. Upon arrival, they meet Arch-Deacon Janos and Governor Vass Mihaly, who are both reluctant to give up the skull, and the Sisters agree that the locals can use it temporarily for their festival while the Sororitas focus on quelling suspected dissidents on the world.[5a] Augusta's investigation leads her squad to the impoverished outskirts of Opal's primary Hives, where they encounter a Genestealer Cult presence under the corrupted Priest Arkas and a hidden Genestealer Patriarch.[5b] The Cult overwhelms the Sisters and initiates a general uprising on Opal's capital just as the festival begins.[5c] During the battle against the Genestealers, Melia is seemingly killed by Genestealer Cultists after confronting Arkas.[5d]
Amidst the chaos of the fighting, a Tyranid fleet arrives in orbit alongside reinforcements led by Canoness Lanthe. The Sisters agree on a plan to exterminate Arkas and the Genestealer Patriarch while Opal is evacuated. Augusta's squad storm the outskirts citadel, killing the Patriarch as Deacon Janos is revealed to be a Genestealer Magus and is also slain by Sister Caia.[5e] Augusta and her squad alongside the young cadet Kamilla are able to rescue Sister Akemi before killing Arkas, and they evacuate Opal with the rest of the Imperials.[5f] Afterwards in orbit aboard the Pride of Faith Augusta recommends Kamilla for the Schola Progenium to train as a fully-fledged Battle Sister.[5g]
