Astra Militarum - Ecclesiarchy Priests and Crusaders: These fanatical members of the Ecclesiarchy and ministers of the Imperial Cult follow the Astra Militarum on campaigns and battles preaching the righteousness of the God-Emperor. These Priests of the Ecclesiarchy play a vital role in the Astra Militarum, imparting holy teachings of the Emperor and providing spiritual succour to the troops both on and off the battlefield. To these followers of the Imperial Creed there is no higher calling than tending the flocks of the Emperor's armies. They lead by example and gladly martyr themselves on blood-soaked fields of battle. They favour close combat over the use of ranged weapons, as they bring holy death to their enemies and they instill this ideal in the Guardsmen following them, making them equally as ferocious as a Commissar when it comes to motivating men, although they use religious inspiration rather than terror in the way most Commissars do.Adeptus Ministorum Priests ensure that troops are sufficiently motivated to do their duty without fear, as well as fighting fanatically themselves. In battle they harness the faith of the troops to smite the Emperor's foes. They fill the hearts of nearby Guardsmen with righteous anger through their powerful and rousing oratory, chanting litanies of devotion and mantras of hate. Together they charge down Heretics that dare oppose the Emperor, determined to purge such filth from the battlefield. During the Second Tyrannic War, the Miasman 15th "Brimstones" found themselves out of ammunition and cut off from reinforcements on the Shrine World of Dystra Angelicus. Roused by the righteous fervour of a trio of Ministorum Priests, the Miasmans sallied forth, butchering half a dozen broods with their knives before they were eventually cut down.More than one Astra Militarum commander has been grateful for the powerful oratory of a Ministorum Priest. Their fiery speeches can stir a populace to rebel against a Heretic lord or persuade an army to lay down its arms and surrender to the mercy of the Emperor -- which is inevitably quick and bloody.All members of the Ecclesiarchy carry with them a rosarius -- a symbol of Imperial faith as potent as the holy Aquila. The more bloodthirsty of Ministorum Priests, including those that have ties to the Redemption Cults, often preach in the swirling melee of combat, and so supplement their faith with snarling Chainswords and bulky pistols. Few liturgies are more rousing to the soldiery of the Astra Militarum than those accompanied by sprays of Traitor blood and the wet thud of carved enemy flesh hitting the ground.Though a Ministorum Priest may serve within an Astra Militarum regiment -- sometimes for an extended period -- he is still formally part of the Ecclesiarchy, the religious body of the Imperium. In a practical sense this has little bearing on his place in a battle, for a Priest will follow the orders given to the regiment he has been seconded to, and will fight and die alongside the soldiers he shepherds.Imperial Guard commanders who show exceptional zeal, unflinching faith and appropriate deference towards the Adeptus Ministorum are sometimes afforded a retinue of Crusaders. These warrior ascetics hail from the most mysterious of all the Ecclesiarchy's many orders -- the Cardinals Crimson -- and it is said that nowhere in the Imperium can more devout warriors be found, save perhaps for in the ranks of the Adepta Sororitas. Armed with formidable shields, shrouded in robes and wielding heavy longswords wreathed in crackling power fields, Crusaders form a dauntless honour guard that is nigh impenetrable in both body and spirit.On the battlefield, Crusaders will often form a halo around their commander, allowing them to move freely wherever the Emperor guides. Xenos, Heretics and Traitors who would approach this holy officer are slaughtered by the Crusaders, while incoming fire ricochets harmlessly off their ornamented Storm Shields. Blessed are the soldiers serving under such a commander, for to fight in the presence of Crusaders is to be assured that the war being waged is truly righteous in the eyes of the Emperor.