Sacristan
Sacristans are a type of Tech-Priest dedicated to the maintenance of Knights.[1]
Contents
Overview
These are Artificers that are inducted from Knight Worlds. Whenever a cargo ship arrives from a forge world to collect food and resources, it will also take a small party of apprentices from the Knight world. These apprentices are drawn from all levels of society and could be the third son of a Noble, or the offspring of a lowly farmer. Over the course of their decade-long apprenticeship on the forge world, they are trained in the skills needed to maintain suits of Knight armour and then returned to their planet of origin as a fully trained Sacristan. Unbeknownst to the Imperial Knights, however, the trainees are also indoctrinated into the Cult Mechanicus, providing a network of agents who can further the interests of the Tech-Priests.[1]
Some Sacristans do not consider themselves true tech-priests, as many do not delve into deeper knowledge or research. The Sacristans aren't educated in the deeper mysteries of the Machine God, like a tech-priest. Instead, they are primarily trained in repairs and maintenance, deferring to the Mechanicus in matters beyond these holy duties. They are forbidden from investigating the workings of the Knights they care for. Doing so would be a terrible insult to the ancient creators, and a violation of the ancestors spirits within.[3b] True tech-priests further inducted into the Cult Mechanicus are held in reverence above the sacristans themselves.[3d]
Sacristans will sometimes pilot Knights for short distances to fulfil their maintenance duties. They do so with the manual controls of a Knight, not entirely dissimilar from piloting a Sentinel. It isn't necessary to take on the Ritual of Becoming or neurally connect with the respective Helm Mechanicum or Throne Mechanicum in order to pilot the suite to perform these simple tasks.[3c]
The local artificers that maintained the Knight armour during the Age of Strife had already established themselves as a vitally important part of each knightly house, and the training they have received from the Adeptus Mechanicus has only served to increase their status. From their first foundation, the Sacristans quickly styled themselves as a priesthood for the half-forgotten mysteries of the technology that they knew, and as their power grew, the relationship between them and the knightly houses shifted and changed. Where in the past, the technicians were seen as mere subjects or vassals, the Sacristans soon began to speak with one voice, and by threatening to remove their services from any house that would not heed their advice, they soon became almost as influential in knightly society as the Nobles themselves.[1]
In general, this has benefited the knightly houses, for the Sacristans act as something of a counterpoint to the natural arrogance and warlike tendencies of the Knights, and have often been able to arbitrate between different houses to ensure they do not wipe one another out in bitter feuds. However, this political might is also an important tool for the Adeptus Mechanicus, which the Tech-Priests use to try and bend the Knight worlds to their will. More often than not, however, the Knights’ ingrained sense of honour and duty often drives them to follow a course of action that the Adeptus Mechanicus would far rather they ignore.[1]
Some legends claim that sacristans invented Knight tournaments. The goal being for Knight pilots to enjoy the pleasure of violent dominance without destroying their machine lords and attain glory without actually murdering each other.[3e]
The appearance, organisation and customs of Sacristans' vary from Knight World to Knight World. This can also be true of Sacristans, who serve different Houses that share the same world as well. Some Sacristans even develop sub-sects called Orders, whose members specialize in certain subjects. These can include aspects of a Knight suit's mechanisms, maintaining a Knight House's genealogical lore, crafting exquisite heraldries or they excel at being artisan-historitors. The Sacristan Orders can also develop into rival cliques, which will cause a House to strive to ensure all of its needs are met.[4a]
Known Sacristan Orders
- Inheritance of Skhallax - House Cadmus[4d]
- Order of the Sacred Traction Core - House Krast[4c]
- Order of the Twelve - House Krast[4c]
- Sybellan-Kastrex Order - House Krast[4c]
- Trans-Order Council of High Sacristans - House Krast[4c]
- Scarlet Guild of Hran'cha - House Taranis[4b]
Known Ranks
- Arch-Maintenancer - Commander of a Knight World's Sacristans and maintains the High Monarch's Knight.[3d]
Known Sacristans
- Dorthiya Tessell - Arch-Maintnenancer of Dominion.[3d]
- Gregor Ormond - Formerly in service to House Cadmus and trained on Gryphonne IV. After the Fall of Gryphonne IV, fall he joined Explorator Sherax's crew aboard the Peregrinus. Gregor continues to serve House Cadmus in service to the disgraced Cadmus knight Edgar Lorristan and his new steed the former Cadmus Knight Armiger Vortigern. All three would be brought together during Gryphonne IV's fall, bound to the Gryphonnen diaspora by chance.[5]
- Lucius Irynblud - Formerly in service to House Drakkus until their destruction at the hands of a large Khorne warband. Shortly afterwards he would go into service of the last remaining member of the House, now turned Freeblade, Vortigan.[6]
- Tannah Gwynne - Sacristan to the Knight Armiger Jester.[3a]
- Krystos Sonnex - Sacristan Senioris to House Krast's Exalted Court.[4c]
Vehicles
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Imperial Knights (6th Edition), pgs. 16-17
- 2: Games Workshop Sacristan Forgeshrine (last accessed 6/4/2021)
- 3: Assassinorum: Kingmaker (Novel):
- 4: Codex: Imperial Knights (10th Edition)
- 5: Dominion Genesis (Novel), The Almagest, Chapter Three
- 6: Warhammer 40k: Freeblade
