Information on Gallowglass

By SilentGlitch, in Dark Heresy

What information do people have on the moon of Gallowglass?

I was looking to use it for an adventure, or maybe something more, like an Imperial Guard Regiment. I noticed the cool name, and went through mentions of it here, and plucked out one or two more details from the books. I'll list those below, but as Gallowglass is mentioned in relation to the Haarlock's Legacy plot, I thought I'd solicit some help here, since I never finished reading about that.

OK, here's what I've been able to dig up officially:

- It's mentioned as being ruled by Malfi (Ascension pg. 216)
"Malfi ... Planetary Governor: Currently the Matriarch Eminence Glydus. The Malfian Matriarch/Patriarch is, by the Articles of Compliance put into effect by Warmaster Angevin, elected for a life term as Malfian Planetary Governor and Imperial Commander of the Malfian system with secondary authority over the system worlds of Gallowglass (Malfi V-c) and Borusa (Malfi VIII)."
- Has a shrine which houses a commandery of the Order Militant of the Bloody Rose (Inquisitor's Handbook pg. 40)
"Less well known holdings of the Sisterhood include ... the Shrine of the Seventeen Martyrs on the agri-moon of Gallowglass in the Malfi system which houses a commandery of the Order Militant of the Bloody Rose."
- The site of event called "The Seventeen Holy Martyrs" (Dark Heresy Timeline)
385.M41 The Seventeen Holy Martyrs: "A small force of Adeptus Sororitas die to a woman defending the agri-colony of Gallowglass in the Malfi system from a cult of decay, slaying an incarnate daemon of great power in the process. A permanent shrine is raised to their honour in memoriam of this great deed."
- Celestian's "last stand on Gallowglass" commemerated by a shrine (BoM pg. 88)
"Come sisters, rejoice and be glad, for before this day ends, we shall be at our Father’s side." – Sister Superior Lucrezia Bask, The Last Stand at Gallowglass
"It is rumoured that the Seventeen Martyrs of Gallowglass were all Celestians, but this has never been confirmed."
"If the stories and rumours are accurate, Celestians have accomplished many of the more miraculous events in the history of the Sisterhood. From the Last Stand on Gallowglass to the Purifying of Lind, stories of the Celestians are found everywhere, each one telling nigh-impossible tales of divine feats of bravery and honour."
- Mentioned as being the site of an infamous massacre (Inquisitor's Handbook pg. 110)
"Belasco Galvian Needler. Another Belasco Deathworks weapon of dubious provenance, this advanced and elegant needle pistol is designed for close-range work. The pistol also has the dubious distinction of being the weapon used for the infamous murder of Cardinal Tyndale and a dozen other deacons and priests at the famed "sorrowful matins" [Note: a "matin" is a Christian service of morning prayer] massacre on Gallowglass, the deliberate infection of the lauded High Lady Alatia of House Krin with Mori immedicabalis, and numerous other high profile killings over the years."
- Very vague mention in Haarlock's Legacy Part 3 (Dead Stars) (pg. 51)
"I leave this recording, my last testament to whomever may find it amongst my peers in the Holy Ordos... the guilt was ours, the sins were ours... hubris... came to dust... We grew arrogant, grew complacent, after we stopped Haarlock on Mara, after the... Hayte were purged at last... Gallowglass we believed ourselves invulnerable... civil war... Tyrantine Caba... within... Haarlock, it all came back to the legacy, we were so blind... never realised just what he... dead now, all dead... city burning... I... from the deep vault.. but its too late... my legs are shattered I cannot get out... all that remains is to pass judgement on myself... cannot let the worms have my mind..."

- Sister of Battle posting (Ascension pg. 221)
Vespaisia is a senior Sister of Battle who has been assigned as the commander of an honour guard detachment of ten battle sisters from the Order of the Bloody Rose on the nearby world of Gallowglass. Her task is both to represent her perceptory at the ceremony and to protect the life of the Venerable Cal during his sojourn on Malfi; a task that she or any of her sisterhood would gladly die to perform. She is a tough, no-nonsense woman who has fought far afield in the service of her order. She served on the frontlines of the Margin Crusade to the dim galactic North of the Calixis sector before taking up her position a little more than a year ago on Gallowglass.


Unofficially, someone on this forum speculated that given the position of Malfi V in relation to Malfi III in the solar system, Gallowglass is probably a moon orbiting a Gas Giant (Malfi V).

On the mention in the timeline of "A small force of Adeptus Sororitas die to a woman" - this is likely the same event as "The Last Stand" on Gallowglass by the Celestians. The timeline states they were fighting "a cult of decay". Haarlock's Legacy mentions Gallowglass too ("Gallowglass we believed ourselves invulnerable..."), as well as some hints ("cannot let the worms have my mind"). I think this all strongly implies that Adepta Sororitas and Inquisition fought the Slaugth on Gallowglass, but much remains unclear. Did they fight together or were the Inqusition there before/after? Is the Sorrowful Matins massacre mentioned part of the same event, or a different one? Why were the Sisters of Battle on a random Agri-World anyway?

I like these story threads - I'm always a fan of the badass Adepta Sororitas, last stands in general, and foul, hidden heresies - and I always appreciated the scope given for GMs to create their own fiction. But given the hidden nature of a lot of these clues, I feel like I may have missed one or two!

So any information you have about Gallowglass, it would be greatly appreciated. I'm especially looking for information on the Adepta Sororitas stationed there, settlements, tech level, the terrain of the planet etc.

Thanks!

Edited by SilentGlitch
10 hours ago, SilentGlitch said:

What information do people have on the moon of Gallowglass  ?

I think you've cited all official information. ThenDoctor asked developers about this moon and received this answer:

On 3/19/2017 at 4:50 PM, ThenDoctor said:
  1. Gallowglass, What is it a moon of?

A: Unless it's stated, places like this can be whever works best for your group. We don't like nailing things too much in location as that can limit GM options.