Sancto
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Name: | Sancto | 
|
| Segmentum: | Tempestus | ||
| Sector: | Eternum | ||
| Subsector: | Confedus | ||
| System: | Demptus | ||
| Population: | ~45,000,000,000 | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperial | ||
| Class: | Hive World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Solutio Extremis | ||
Overview
Sancto is an imitation of a proper shrineworld, with massive cathedrals that imitate the Ecclesiastical style built at the behest of the late governor Popus Harzencross and continued by his heirs. Although the Ecclesiarchy will almost certainly never properly consecrate the world as a shrine world, they do enjoy the resources of Sancto and receive a significant portion of its tithe. As part of this all encompassing religious fervor in pursuit of a self made shrine world, the Sancto Guard regiments are particularly fanatical in an attempt to emulate proper Shrineguard, with most Imperial commanders loathe to have Sancto guard units assigned to them for their terrible aim, reckless disregard for safety, poor discipline (in the context of following orders), and tendency to charge into the fray like orks. For those that can play to their strengths, Sanctosians are incredibly useful to tie up an enemy unit and protect more elite units, and individuals Sanctosians can serve in a pinch as an overly melee bodyguard for the undiscerning rogue trader or Inquisitor.
History
Governor Harzencross was once a shrewd politician and vicious mega-merchant, but at the start of his reign a dark plague spread across Sancto, sickening his wife and placing her at death's door. Harzencross sent for the best medicae across Confedus, but none could treat her or the growing plague. His fortune changed when a firebrand redemptionist appeared and began yelling litanies at his wife, screaming until veins bulged in his face. This preacher, Oded the Trumpeter, somehow cured Harzencross's wife, whether through devotion, luck, or preventing anybody but him from seeing her while he shouted verse after verse. Uncaring of the how, Harzencross fell at Oded's feet and begged him to save his world, creating the position of Arch-Redemptionist and empowering him to act as he saw fit on Sancto. Oded's fervor spread across the world, and soon the plague subsided, after which Oded named himself a Saint and constructed large districts built as cathedrals in his honor. The ecclesiarchy soon heard of this, and toppled Oded's personality cult with their chamber militant, the Order of the Purple Communion. Harzencross was also executed for consorting with a blasphemer, with the Ecclesiarchy taking the reign as Arch-Redemptionist and correcting the churches of the world. His heirs still maintain the religious fervor of Harzencross, though some of them, and the population, still revere Oded with occasional fights between hardliners and Odedites breaking out.