GM Protasia – Shrine World at War

Classification: Shrine World / War World
Location: Drusus Marches, Calixis Sector, Segmentum Obscurus
Tithe Grade: Shrine World (formerly a major Ministorum center)
Sources: forums.sufficientvelocity.com+8 · calixipedia.fandom.com+8 · ultima-tectum.com+8

Background & Significance

  • Saint Drusus’s Triumph: Protasia holds a central place in Drusian faith. During the Angevin Crusade, Saint Drusus eradicated xenos dominion here, purging the world in fire and blood before binding it to the Imperium. This victory became one of the founding myths of the Drusian cult.
  • The Relics of Drusus: Before its downfall, Protasia housed the largest single collection of relics linked to Saint Drusus, including shards of his armor, battle standards, and martyr-tokens from his crusade. Pilgrims came from across the sector to kneel before these treasures.
  • A Zenith of Piety: The planet became renowned for sacred sites such as the Thirty-Two Hallowed Steps and the Golden Army of Var—monuments of devotion that cemented its reputation as a beacon of faith within the Calixis Sector.

The Foulmind Rebellion

  • The spiritual prestige of Protasia collapsed in the wake of the Foulmind Heresy, led by Arch-Bishop Galarphan of the Protasian Synod.
  • Galarphan—rumored still alive—corrupted the clergy with dark rites and heretical doctrines, unleashing schism and rebellion.
  • The heresy deepened when Confessor Elye the Traitor and the Golden Army of Var turned against the Ecclesiarchy, plunging Protasia into civil war between loyalists and heretics.

The Protasian Breach

  • Governor Grund’s treacherous plot for secession spiraled into damnation when a servant of Tzeentch infiltrated his court, manipulating his mind.
  • Masses of rogue psykers, denied sanctioned purging, erupted into revolt—tearing open living Warp-gates that birthed hordes of Enslavers.
  • Grey Knights and Battlefleet Calixis launched an assault to contain the nightmare. The Alpha Legion struck opportunistically, sparking orbital war.
  • Ultimately, the daemonic infestation was scoured, but the cost was catastrophic: Protasia was reduced to a charred ruin, its relics plundered, destroyed, or corrupted.

Current Status & Aftermath

  • The world is partially reclaimed but scarred—vast wastelands lie blighted by plague, warp-burn, and psychic dead zones.
  • Cardinal Kregory Hestor and the Ecclesiarchy remain humiliated by their failure to protect the sector’s most hallowed shrine. The destruction of Drusus’s relics is considered a near-unforgivable stain upon the Ministorum.
  • Grey Knights maintain a garrison, the Inquisition enforces strict oversight, and martial law is brutally applied to crush any resurgence of cults or psychic contagion.

War World Dynamics

  • Protasia functions now as both Shrine and War World:
    • A fortress of watchful zealots and Inquisitorial agents.
    • A charnel ground of burned temples and shattered monuments.
    • A training and containment ground for the Adepta Sororitas, Grey Knights, and the Ordo Hereticus.
  • The population lives under constant suspicion, their devotion tainted by heresy, their future dictated by chains of war and penitence.

Summary:
Protasia was once the holiest jewel of the Drusian cult, sanctified by Saint Drusus himself and guardian of his greatest relics. Its fall—through heresy, warp breach, and daemonic invasion—has made it a byword for both Imperial glory and shame. Today it stands as a broken shrine-world-turned-war-zone: a place of ruined sanctity, ceaseless vigilance, and grim remembrance of relics lost forever.