Onyx Sabre

The Onyx Sabre is a Fiefdom of the Margan Dynasties. Originally a part of the Pale Mace Dynasty, the founders of the Onyx Blade broke off from the fleet following Matriarch Jisa's heresy and alerted the dynasties to her actions, culminating in the destruction of the Pale Mace and Matriarch Jisa's suicide. Though spared the fate of their brethren, the surviving loyalists were ashamed of their dynasty's actions and reformed into a new fiefdom: the Onyx Sabre. The Sabre strives to atone for the sins of the Pale Mace through unwavering devotion to the Holy Goal and believes that final atonement will come only when the galaxy has been cleansed.

The Onyx Sabre was vocally opposed to Matriarch Hilda's proposal to establish the Warlord Pact, perceiving it as a relapse to the same mistakes which had doomed the Pale Mace. Even after the attempted assassination of High Priestess Massachiah and King Breys and the subsequent outbreak of the Great War, the Onyx Sabre refused to directly support the Pact and instead moved into the neighboring Tomastahl Sector, where they remain to this day. Following the Telkevan Union's defection from the Warlord Pact, the Onyx Sabre has focused its efforts against the traitors.

Origins
The fleets that would form into the Onyx Blade began as disparate elements of the Pale Mace Dynasty. Shortly after aliens began worshiping the Margan as gods, Matriarch Jisa assembled the queens of her flotilla to discuss the possibility of integrating these aliens into the dynasty as servants. Queen Tennyo of the Vengeful Seraphim battlegroup, was among those who dissented, arguing that the Holy Goal had no exceptions and that even mere slaves could corrupt Margan society. Ultimately, Tennyo was overruled, but she refused to integrate any slaves into the fleets under her jurisdiction. Tennyo continued in her efforts to have the decision overturned, but when it became clear that Jisa had strayed from the path, Tennyo gathered her allies within the Pale Mace and reached out to the Holy Dynasty to report Jisa's heresy. As a show of loyalty to the Holy Goal, Queen Tennyo and her forces participated in the subsequent purge of the Pale Mace.

Queen Tennyo was commemorated for her steadfast loyalty, but she and her loyalists were deeply ashamed of their dynasty's sins. Believing the pursuit of the Holy Goal to be the only path towards atonement, the surviving elements of the Pale Mace rallied under Queen Tennyo. These fleets were organized into a fiefdom and given the title of 'Onyx Blade', exchanging the Pale Mace's white coloration for black to further distinguish themselves from their progenitors.

Eternal Penitence
The new fiefdom soon joined its brethren in their crusade against alien life. Despite lacking the strength of the larger dynasties, the Onyx Blade refused any and all offers of assistance, preferring to fight alone. Tennyo compensated by adopting new strategies, developing new weapons, and through emphasizing the mistakes of the Pale Mace to her troops. The Onyx Blade quickly developed a reputation for savage cruelty that surprised even some who followed the philosophy of the Demon. At the same time, their zealous aggression often made it difficult for the Fiefdom to replenish its losses between campaigns. Queen Tennyo, who often took direct command of operations, was herself eventually killed when her flagship was destroyed. Tennyo's appointed successor, Queen Erinyes, then took command of the fiefdom.

Erinyes was just as militant as her predecessor, but she had ambitions to one day rule a dynasty of her own, and turned her attention towards building up the Onyx Blade and fostering a unique cultural identity among its inhabitants. As part of this program, Erinyes began the construction of a new worldship, Remembrance, which would be completed roughly a year before the start of the Great War.