Mercia Kilgore
Palatine Mercia Kilgore
History
Birth and Early Life
The daughter of a mid-level Adeptus Administratum priest stationed in the 'Dust Zone, Mercia did not attend the Daughters of Verity schola but instead was educated in the private academy for children of Adepts, as well as by a series of private tutors. Her father, not unreasonably, wished to give her the best possible opportunity in life and felt the specialized education designed to create the next generation of administrators would stand her in good stead. Verity, however, seemed to have other plans. Students take many placement exams throughout their academy career; success or failure in these tests - even when administered at a tender age - has a permanent impact on their future prospects. Mercia had done well in all her exams and a promising career lay before her. The final exam to determine initial placement in the vast bureaucracy of the Adeptus Administratum was a few days after her sixteenth birthday. Unless she completely failed the examination, she would don the green robe of the priesthood of Terra and begin a long career of administration and logistics. A devoted child, as all the citizens of Ophelia VII are, she spent the night before the examination in prayer in a local chapel. When the doors of the examination hall opened, Mercia was not there and her desk sat empty while the other students took the examination. More angry with his daughter than worried about her, despite the threat of gang-violence in the 'Dust Zone, her father searched for her, only finding her that evening in the Crystal Citadel wearing the blue smock of a Postulant of the Daughters of Verity. "Verity has chosen me, father," is all she would say. Her father was angry and disappointed, but Mercia was sixteen - a woman permitted to make her own choices - and to fight against the Daughters was foolish even for an Adept of the Administratum. Besides, she had already ruined her career prospects by missing the exam. He left his daughter in the cloister-fortress.Postulancy
Mercia struggled with the demands of postulancy - she had discipline and drive, and the spirituality and physical hardship were not a challenge to her, but hitherto her education had emphasized intellectualism not military prowess. Her excellent examination results had marked her for leadership in the Administratum and many of the other postulants found her high-handed and arrogant. Her educated accent, so unlike that of the 'Dust Zone, also made her stand out and she was mocked and even bullied. The Pedagogues Militant watched carefully, seeing what would happen and how she would react. The spiritual maturity she displayed by the virtue of humility surprised them - she didn't lord it over the other postulants, but neither did she allow them to see her as weaker or lesser. She clung to her accent and education, seeing them as an integral part of her. The mockery lessened, but the bullying continued. She responded to that with a simple and practical escalation of violence; she became a savage and cruel fighter, quick to respond but quicker to stop once the fight was won. The bullies soon learned it was better to move on to softer targets . . . and then found that Mercia followed them and put a stop to that as well. The Pedagogues noticed this and made her a cadet officer, putting her in charge of the bullies and those they had bullied. With her experience won by bruises and education, she molded them into a well-disciplined platoon, saving many of them from being washed out of the postulancy program. When she took her vows and became a Novice and then Professed Daughter, she was quickly recognized by her Sisters and the Order's senior leadership and served as a Princeps Autem Corpus while still young. It was openly discussed that when a vacancy opened on the Palatine Council she would be quickly elected to that office.The Fighting Tigers
Mercia served in many campaigns, fighting against many enemies of the Imperium and alongside many more elements of the Imperial war-machine. One of the most significant allies to her were the Fighting Tigers, an unorthodox Chapter of Astartes whose homeworld of Veda lies between the Malestrom and the Cicatrix Maledictum. Between these two raging Warp Rifts is a narrow corridor of stable space known as the Regulus Corridor or, to the Tigers who guard it fiercely for the Imperium, the Shikari Trail. Prior to the appearance of the Great Rift, significant military resources were deployed around the Malestrom to defend Imperial assets against assaults from the Ruinious Powers from within that Warp Rift. When the Cicatrix Maledictum split the galaxy, these outposts and installations found themselves cut off from Imperium Nihilus and needed to receive all supplies, succor and resources from the Terran side of the Rift. The Shikari Trail became of paramount importance and the hitherto-maligned Fighting Tigers found themselves courted and flattered by agents of the Imperium desperate for their experience in this region of space. Deployed to the Regulus Corridor as part of an Ecclesiarchy purgation force, Mercia fought alongside the Fighting Tigers, leading her corpus against both Chaos Astartes and also opportunistic Drukhari raiders known as the Cabal of the Ozone Scorpion. There, she met a Tiger of Kali Havildar (equivalent to an Assault Marine Sergeant) named Saphed Lahar. Despite coming from wildly different backgrounds - Saphed came from a poor family on a feudal world - the two women became fast friends, finding themselves at the same point in their military careers and united by their loyalty to the Imperium, a propensity for melee combat and their devotion to the God-Emperor. During long night-watches on forsaken planets, the two women discussed spirituality and debated theology. Saphed did not have Mercia's formal education or dogmatic adherence the Ophelian catechism, but she had an eager curiosity and the two of them learned much from each other. But it was not merely intellectualism that cemented the friendship; they shed blood together, saving each others lives on more than one occasion. It was a sad day for them both when the Daughters were recalled to Ophelia and they parted, exchanging weapons as mementos of their time together. Mercia took Saphed's lightning claw and gave the Tiger her verum viscera blade, an honor seldom-if-ever bestowed on a non-Daughter of Verity. Awed by this gesture, Saphed bestowed on Mercia the honor of the bindi and swore unbreakble oaths of friendship by the Brahmin, the sleeping god whose dreams shape the universe.Current Status
The casualties of the Regulus campaign were heavy, and a vacancy opened on the Palatine Council - as predicted, Mercia was elected to that position and, honoring her friend, took a tiger-striped cloak as her badge of office. Today, she serves as Canoness Shania's foremost field commander and staff officer. Because of her patience and spiritual maturity (developed and displayed during her postulancy) Shania assigned her to "manage" the Wings of Verity, equipping her with a jump-pack and utilizing her ability in melee and to lead from the front to the best advantage.Physical Description
Apparel & Accessories
Wears a tiger-striped cloak as badge of office as Palatine.
Specialized Equipment
In addition to the usual arms and armor of a Daughter of Verity, she fights with an Astartes lightning claw gifted to her by the Fighting Tigers of Veda.
Mental characteristics
Sexuality
Celibate Sister of Battle.
Education
Educated at the private academy for children of Adepts until 16, then vocational training as Postulant, Novice and Professed Sister of the Daughters of Verity.
Social
Religious Views
Adherent of the Ophelian cult of the Imperial Creed, although she has been known to incorporate Vedic practices into her private devotions.
Social Aptitude
Patient but decisive with a strong sense of justice.
Speech
Speaks with the accent of a Terran adept, rather than the 'Dust Zone accent (generally seen as more intelligent and educated). Has been known to make use of Vedic slang and slurs, including her exuberant battlecry "Jai Ho!" ("Let there be victory").
Currently Held Titles
Birthplace
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Female
Eyes
Blue-Gray
Hair
Blonde
Quotes & Catchphrases
Jai Ho!
Aligned Organization
Character Prototype
Named after and as a homage to Kenton Kilgore of The Jungle.
