Penitent Engines

A Penitent Engine is a large, bipedal combat walker used by the Ecclesiarchy as a form of punishment for those Heretics who have repented their sins against the God-Emperor. Penitent Engines are also used by the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas as heavy infantry fire support in the same way that the Space Marine Chapters use their Dreadnoughts. To be a pilot of a Penitent Engine is to have committed a terrible crime, one so heinous that punishment such as imprisonment, exile, Arco-flagellation or even execution is deemed too lenient. The repentant Heretic is hard-wired into the front of the war engine, and unlike Space Marine Dreadnoughts, which are fully enclosed, the penitent sinner is fully exposed to enemy attack, relying only upon the Emperor’s judgement to keep them safe or take their life.