Drusian Adherents

“Raise high the Drusian standard! Chant loudly the warrior’s prayer! Know well the Abenican prophesies! Take up the Saint’s crusade and do the God-Emperor’s work in the Expanse! To do less is to be damned.”
—Domingus Quall, Lord-Captain of the Sanctus Vesica
Throughout the Calixis Sector there is no figure, save
the God-Emperor himself, more revered than Saint Drusus. A warrior without peer, Saint Drusus lead the
Angevin Crusade to victory, bringing the Emperor’s light to
the Calyx Expanse, transforming it into the Calixis Sector as
men know it today. The Saint attracted many followers in his
lifetime, and a sizeable Ministorum cult continues to venerate
Drusus and his deeds. Among the faithful, there are those
who believe the Saint’s mission ended in the year 384.M39,
when the Angevin Crusade was officially called to a close.
There are others who claim that the crusade can never end,
for as long as there are worlds to conquer, the works of Saint
Drusus remain unfinished. It is from this doctrinal schism that
the first Drusian Dissidents were born. When the Koronus Passage opened, an event prophesied in Drusian chronicles
by the seer Abenicus, the Dissidents gave rise to a new
faction. The Drusian Adherents, as they came to be
known, did not pore over musty tomes of saintly
lore and engage in theosophical debate. Instead,
they armed themselves and drove deep into the
Expanse, eager to claim new worlds and
tame wilderness space in the name of
Saint Drusus.
Drusian Adherents are driven by
fanatical devotion to their patron Saint,
and by the belief that every citizen has
a sacred duty to push the borders of
the Empire outward, braving hostile
environments, indigenous xenos
races, and uncultured heathens. For
a Drusian, there is no respite from
the Saint’s crusade. Every world, from
looming gas giants to airless icy moons,
must be touched by the God-Emperor’s
light and claimed with the Drusian
standard. With the Koronus Passage
open, disparate Adherents gather at
Port Wander, forming ramshackle
armies eager to march into the Expanse
and prove both their devotion and the
righteousness of their cause.
Adherents are often asked if
Saint Drusus had meant for
the crusade to continue,
why would he have
called it to a close?
Adherents of a pragmatic nature typically answer that their
Saint was forced to end the crusade prematurely by order
of the High Lords of Terra, making the cessation a political
necessity. Others posit that Saint Drusus intentionally left
worlds unconquered so that future generations could be
tested in the crucible of war. A third explanation claims
that the declaration of the end of the Angevin Crusade was
meant to be temporary, Drusus intending to resume his
conquest after consolidating his gains in the Calyx Expanse,
and that the Saint’s death prevented a glorious return to the
field of battle.
The path of the Drusian Adherent has broad appeal,
attracting devotees from the lowest death world dregs
to ambitious nobles of the highest spires. The faith is
also popular amongst Rogue Traders and their crews,
both those who view profit and conquest as a God-Emperor-given right, and those looking for an army of
crusaders to bolster their
own mercenary forces.
Regrettably, for every
Adherent of high standing
there is a charlatan eager
to exploit the faithful for
personal gain. For their
part, the Adherents care
little, so long as they tread
upon alien worlds, cleansing
them with bolter and chainsword
as Drusus did in his day.
==Becoming a Drusian Adherent==
For men of faith, becoming a Drusian Adherent
is a simple matter. One need only take up the
standard of Saint Drusus and pledge their life in
service to the unending crusade. But to truly call
oneself worthy of the Drusian ideal, these words
must be backed by action. The Adherent must be more
than willing---he must also be able to carry out the
sacrament of conquest. A Drusian Adherent does
not sit within a command center directing
his brethren from afar. The true Adherent
marches proudly into the fray, reveling
in the act of physical confrontation, and
knowing beyond any doubt that if he
dies, he dies in glory, at last worthy of
Drusus’ blessing.
Required Career: Any, except Astropath Transcendent, Explorator, or any form of xenos.
Alternate Rank: 1 or higher (5,000 XP)
Other Requirements: The character
may have no more than 10 Corruption
Points when this career is taken.
Note: Although this Rank has the
option of replacing the first Rank of a
Career, it does not re-list any starting
Skills and Talents. All Skills and
Talents listed here are in addition to
starting Skills and Talents the Career
may contain.