Iter Sancti Drusus: The Journey of Saint Drusus

The Drusus Marches are strewn with shrine worlds where the Saint himself is said to have suffered, triumphed, and at last been laid to rest. For millennia, the faithful of the Calixis Sector have retraced his sacred journey, bearing stamped mandates of pilgrimage and seeking absolution through ordeal, prayer, and sacrifice. Each world offers its own miracle and trial — deserts where the Saint was healed, waters he walked upon, lands he blessed, and the tomb where his bones lie. The Iter Sancti Drusi has become the greatest devotional circuit of the Calixis Sector, drawing poor and wealthy alike, each walking the path according to their means and fervour.

Shrine worlds in the Drusus Marches

  • Maccabeus Quintus — Founded by Sepedeus II Von Ulm in 080.M41, sold by Maximor Von Ulm 233.M41. A major shrine world and heart of the Drusine cult; site of pilgrimage for the faithful across the sector. It’s tied directly to the cult of Saint Drusus and fields its own famed military traditions (e.g., Maccabian Janissaries). Cardinal Philomenos Krinn
  • Drusus Shrine World (“Sentinel”) — Founded by Sepedeus II Von Ulm in 080.M41, sold by Maximor Von Ulm 233.M41. A harsh shrine world dedicated to Saint Drusus. Pilgrims visit the central shrine and then set out on foot into the bleak wastes seeking visions; many perish on these penitent treks. Cardinal Sigmaus of Sthel
  • Protasia — Founded by Sepedeus II Von Ulm in 080.M41, sold by Maximor Von Ulm 233.M41. A War World / Shrine World caught in conflict. Previously a devout pilgrimage destination in Drusus Marches, now scarred by conflict. Cardinal Kregory Hestor
  • Veneris — Founded by Sepedeus II Von Ulm in 080.M41. A world dedicated to the worship of saints or martyrs, where shrines and religious monuments dominate the landscape. Cardinal Archelaus von Ulm

The Sacred Visits

  • Sentinel (Drusus Shrine World)
    Miracle: Drusus was healed of mortal wounds in the desert.
    Rituals:
    • The Ashen March: Pilgrims coat themselves in dust and ash before walking into the wasteland in silence, retracing Drusus’ ordeal.
    • The Bones Beneath the Shrine: Pilgrims leave a personal token (hair, blood, bone fragment of kin) among the bones of those who perished.
    • Healing Litanies: Pilgrims recite the Litany of Recovery while fasting, hoping for cures or visions.
  • Veneris
    Miracle: Drusus walked upon the waters.
    Rituals:
    • The Procession of Waters: Pilgrims try to cross the holy lake immersed waist-deep, chanting invocations.
    • Shell of the Saint: Pilgrims wear a carved shell motifas a badge.
    • Vigils on the Pier: Whole nights are spent praying at the edge of the water, awaiting visions or echoes of the Saint’s voice.
  • Protasia
    Miracle: Drusus blessed the land after victory over xenos.
    Rituals:
    • Earth-Benediction: Pilgrims kneel and press their foreheads into the soil, smearing blessed dust across their faces.
    • Scarred Shrines: Pilgrims place candles in ruined shrines, acknowledging faith’s endurance amid war.
    • Discounted Passages: Due to decline in visitation, pilgrims are encouraged to visit Protasia with serious discounts that attract the strong in the faith but light on the purse.
  • Maccabeus Quintus
    Miracle: Final resting place, the Tomb of Saint Drusus.
    Rituals:
    • The Pilgrim’s Mass: Names of arriving pilgrims are read aloud by Black Order confessors.
    • Embrace of the Saint: Pilgrims approach the reliquary and touch the silver tomb-shrine, reciting their sins.
    • Botafumeiro of the Black Order: Vast incense dispensers swing through the cathedral’s transept, choking the air in clouds of holy smoke.
    • Confession and Communion: Final absolution offered; wealthier pilgrims often donate fortunes to secure front-row access.

Pilgrim Passes & Routes

  • Single-World Pilgrims (Pauper’s Way):
    • The poor often choose only one shrine world — usually Sentinel or whichever shrine offers the cheapest Pilgrim Pass at the moment.
    • Currently, Protasia’s Cardinal offers deep discounts to attract pilgrims back.
  • Zealot’s Way:
    • Ascetics and penitents prefer Sentinel and Veneris, scorning Maccabeus Quintus and Prostasia as “corrupted by idolatry and indulgence.”
    • These zealots travel barefoot, often mortifying themselves along the route.
  • Patrician’s Way:
    • The wealthy and influential bypass the harsher shrines and head directly to Maccabeus Quintus, often by private star vessels.
    • Pilgrimage is as much about prestige as devotion.
  • Iter Perfecta:
    • The most prestigious path: Sentinel → Veneris → Protasia → Maccabeus Quintus.
    • Completion earns the pilgrim the Laurel of Drusus, a Ministorum-issued seal marking them as devotees of the Creed.

Liber Drusi – The Rule of the Pilgrim

Pilgrim’s Credential (Liber Drusi)

  • Each pilgrim carries a stamped permit recording shrine worlds visited.
  • Each station visited grants greater absolution from sin; completion of all four major shrines (Sentinel, Veneris, Protasia, Maccabeus Quintus) earns the Laurel of Drusus, a seal recognized across the Calixis Sector.

Indulgence Tariffs

  • Pilgrim Passes are priced according to the number of shrine worlds included.
  • Wealthy pilgrims often pay enormous sums for direct void ship passage to Maccabeus Quintus alone.
  • Zealots scorn indulgences, walking barefoot between shrines when possible.
  • Cardinals compete for pilgrim traffic; Protasia’s tariffs are currently discounted heavily to restore pilgrims to its battered shrines.

Rites of Ascent & Descent

  • General Form: At each shrine world, pilgrims kneel at the base of the great stair and ascend, reciting the Creed with each step.
  • Veneris: Pilgrims climb the stairs of the mega-statue of Saint Drusus, often weeping as they rise under the saint’s stone gaze.
  • Maccabeus Quintus: Pilgrims climb the grand stair of the Tomb of Saint Drusus, finishing at the reliquary gates.
  • Protasia: The Thirty-Two Hallowed Steps once served as the focal point; now destroyed, pilgrims kneel upon rubble and recite the lost steps aloud.
  • Sentinel: No stairs — instead the Wander to the Desert: pilgrims walk until exhaustion, reciting the Creed, then return (if they survive).

Feast of the Saint

  • Held annually on the Day of Saint Drusus’ Ascension.
  • Mass processions occur on all four shrine worlds simultaneously.
  • On Maccabeus Quintus, incense dispensers (Botafumeiros of the Black Order) swing across the cathedral, filling the air with choking clouds of sanctity.
  • Entire Tomb is illuminated, the glow visible from orbit; voidships fire salutes of macro-flare in his honor.

Ascetic & Mortification Rites (Zealot’s Additions)

While the wealthy buy indulgences and the common faithful are content with minimum ritual, the zealot’s path demands self-mortification, hardship, and blood.

  • The Barefoot March (Iter Nudipedum): Pilgrims remove all footwear and walk barefoot across stone, salt, or ash. On Sentinel, some crawl on hands and knees until skin bleeds.
  • The Flagellation of the Flesh (Flagella Drusi): Zealots whip themselves during litanies, especially at the tomb stairs of Maccabeus Quintus, leaving blood on the stones as an offering.
  • The Chain of Burdens: Pilgrims drag chains or carry weighted iron effigies of aquilas and saintly symbols during processions, representing the burden of sin and the chains Drusus broke from the faithful.
  • The Fast of Ashes: Zealots consume nothing but water and ashes for days, emulating Drusus’ suffering in the deserts of Sentinel.
  • The Vigil of Nails: At Veneris, zealots kneel upon iron nails or broken shells while keeping night-long prayer, to recall Drusus’ walk upon the water.
  • The Ashen Seal: Pilgrims burn symbols into their own flesh — often the aquila, the “D” sigil of Drusus, or fragments of the Creed — as permanent scars of faith.
  • Desert Mortification: On Sentinel, the most extreme zealots walk until they collapse, hoping their bones will become part of the shrine-scape, mingling with the relics of earlier martyrs.

Social Divide

  • Wealthy: Purchase indulgences, hire private vessels, travel in comfort. Their devotion is measured in gold and incense.
  • Moderate faithful: Follow basic Rites of Ascent & Descent, collect as many stamps as they can afford in the Mandatum Peregrinationis Sacrae, and attend the Feast in one of the shrine worlds..
  • Zealots & penitents: Reject indulgences, embrace mortification rituals. They measure their devotion in blood, pain, and dust.