Geography: Shrine World; main continent covered by the massive Mausoleum of Remembrance, holding saints in archaeotech stasis chambers. Statues and grand cathedrals cover the surface.
Population: 50 Million
Tithe Grade: Exactus Tertius
Government Type: Theocratic Diocese (Ruled by the Creed of Remembrance).
Planetary Governor: Arch-Cardinal Bavarus Konseig
Adept Presence: Absolute (Ecclesiarchy Sub-Sector Synod, Sisters of Battle garrisoned).
Military: Adepta Sororitas (Order of the Shining Blade) and Temple Custodians.
Trade: Pilgrimage fees, spiritual relics, and colossal statuary.
“Your Eminence, I have recovered a most peculiar note amongst the late bishop’s effects.”
–Preacher Laine, shortly before his mysterious disappearance
Often considered the most holy place in all of the Thule Sub-Sector, and one of the holiest in all of Askellon, Ossuar is home both to the Ecclesiarchy’s Sub-Sector Synod and the remains of some of the sector’s greatest saints, such as Pavonar, Genthis, and that most trusted servant of Saint Valerius, Kesal. It is a world devoted to the Cult Imperialis, a planet entirely given over to the worship of the Emperor and the adoration of Askellon’s saints. Ossuar is a shining world, where the bright sunlight glints off of stained glass and marble statuary. It has been this way since the dawn of the Imperium, yet this sacred world hides dark secrets that, if revealed, could bring damnation upon it.
Millennia ago, Lord Commander Valon Cordius decreed that Ossuar would be the final resting place for the greatest heroes to meet their end during the dark days of the Horus Heresy. The decree, so he said, was based on a vision granted by the Emperor Himself. In the following centuries, the world was entrusted to the nascent Adeptus Ministorum, which turned the planet’s already considerable resources toward the task of honouring the Emperor and the earliest Askellian saints.
Ossuar is governed by the Creed of Remembrance, the world’s Adeptus Ministorum diocese. Arch-Cardinal Bavarus Konseig is both the leader of the Creed of Remembrance and the highest-ranked Ecclesiarchy official in the sub-sector. This also makes him one of the most influential individuals in the entire sector, particularly considering Thule’s current lack of a Sub-Sector Praefect. The Arch-Cardinal has held his position for more than a century, and has solemnly and piously attended to his duties during that time. Like all priests of the Creed, Konseig is obsessed with the past, and specifically with the myths and legends of the sector’s saints.
As the seat of power in the Thule Sub-Sector, Ossuar is a critically important world for the Adeptus Ministorum. From here, the Ecclesiarchy coordinates the activities of the diocese across this region. As befits such an important world, Ossuar is spectacularly appointed with grand cathedrals, triumphal arches, colossal statues, gleaming bell towers, and a hundred other splendours. The Arch-Cardinal’s sermons are vox-cast across the planet, in order that all of Ossuar’s citizens and pilgrims might hear his words and draw inspiration from them.
Each year, millions upon millions of pilgrims travel to Ossuar on routes known across the sector. Such pilgrimage routes are often targets for raiders, but Ossuar’s influence and proximity to Port Lokhart ensure considerable Naval protection. Nonetheless, daring piratical attacks, both human and xenos, are an increasing danger. So massive are the crowds traveling to see the Grand Cathedral that the journey from landing pad to cathedral takes years. Many pilgrims do not survive this final stage of the journey, succumbing to old age, being trampled underfoot, or even dying of dehydration amidst the press of bodies. Merely to live out their last days on the sacred ground of Ossuar is a great blessing worthy of the long journey.
Ossuar is a world of towering cathedrals and macro-statues imported from Vouxis Prime, but its greatest feature is the Mausoleum of Remembrance. This massive structure covers much of the world’s main continent and houses the bodies of the saints. The mausoleum is truly massive in scale, its arches and towers rising high above the flagstones amidst colossal statues and stained glass murals hundreds of metres across. Awestruck pilgrims gaze up at the sight; many claim to receive ecstatic visions upon arriving at the mausoleum.
Within, pilgrims pass under great archways in order to gaze upon the perfectly preserved remains of some of the Askellon Sector’s most revered saints. Thanks to ancient compacts, the Adeptus Mechanicus maintains the ill-understood stasis fields that preserve these mortal remains. Thanks to these archaeotech devices, the saints remain largely untouched by the ravages of time, allowing pilgrims to gaze on their beatific countenances just as they looked in life. The stasis-shielded saints are one of the great miracles of the Askellon Sector, pride of both the Adeptus Ministorum and the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Ossuar is home to a convent of the Sisters of Battle. Canoness Liona leads more than 300 Battle Sisters of the Order of the Shining Blade, a successor to the Order of the Ebon Chalice, who stand ready to defend the shrine world against any threat. The site of the convent adjoins the Mausoleum of Remembrance, and one of the Sisters’ primary duties is guarding the mausoleum and shepherding pilgrims through its grand corridors. At the behest of Ossuar’s sitting Arch Cardinal, the Battle Sisters have participated in numerous actions across Askellon, fighting heresy as far afield as Desoleum and the Quelling of Hive Suzzum.
For all that the Creed of Remembrance honours and reveres the past, so much of it has been forgotten - in some cases, willfully so. The stories told of the sector’s early days are fragmentary. There are many legends surrounding the life and deeds of Saint Akalrus of Ossuar, who was canonised some centuries after his death. It is commonly known that Akalrus rose to the rank of cardinal in life some two millennia ago, and that numerous miracles were attributed to him. However, official records are contradictory. Sources disagree on when exactly he was canonised, or what deeds earned his sainthood. Such discrepancies are not uncommon when dealing with the vast bureaucracy of the Imperium and the passage of time, but the level of discrepancy here is remarkable. It is strange that Akalrus was canonised so long after death, considering his preserved body sits behind one of Ossuar’s few stasis fields.
The reasons behind these discrepancies are dark. Cardinal Akalrus was an ambitious man whose lust for success outweighed his faith. This weakness became known to a Daemon Herald of Tzeentch known as Ch’phor’tca, the Speaker in the Darkness. Insinuating itself into his dreams over years, the Daemon nourished the cleric's ambition while undermining his faith. A dark bargain was struck, granting Akalrus success in life in return for eternal damnation. Akalrus rose swiftly through the ranks, becoming known for his fiery sermons and miraculous demonstrations.
At the appointed time, the Daemon claimed its due, swallowing Akalrus’ soul and taking possession of his body. A blasphemous Daemon walked the holy ground of Ossuar. From its lofty position, the Daemon set into motion the next stages of its plan. At the Basilica of Saint Barome, the thing that wore Akalrus led a foul ritual that culminated in the mass sacrifice of the attendants and the opening of a Warp rift.
Daemons of Chaos poured through the hole in reality, descending upon the pilgrims gathered at the Mausoleum. The possessed cardinal cackled as the faithful were rent apart or consumed. However, the Sisters of the Shining Blade rallied and fought back, banishing the wretched Daemons back to the Warp with bolter and blessed blade. They could not destroy Ch’phor’tca, but drove it back long enough to erect a stasis field, trapping the Daemon within Akalrus’ body.
The Akalrus Incursion has been all but obliterated from history. Rather than being condemned, Akalrus is revered as a saint, for the priests decided to scour the incident from history lest the world and the faith of the people be forever tainted. The Sisters who survived took the vow of the Repentia, and witnesses were put to the sword. The grounds were re-consecrated, and the priests swore to take the knowledge to their graves for the good of Ossuar.
Despite these efforts, slivers of truth survived. The Keepers are a secret society amongst the priesthood who know what dwells behind the stasis field. They are locked in a conflict with the Recollectors of Akalrus, a blasphemous cult that believes the Emperor’s divinity is a lie and that a mere corpse sits on the Golden Throne. They believe Chaos is the true source of power. Their ultimate goal is to bring down the stasis field trapping Akalrus to show the masses the awful truth. Thus far, the Keepers have thwarted them, but a single moment of laxity could bring about Ossuar’s doom.