OMG thought balloons. I can’t believe Phil let these in here. We have something of a difference of taste on the subject. (I think he wrote this scene, but I may’ve revised these balloons in on the basis that the guards needed to be at least ONE-dimensional.)

At the time we composed this story, we weren’t expecting to see any non-Frigg members of the church after Chapter 6, not even Rachel. Looking back, I’d say there’s maybe a 10% chance that the second nun with a “thinking role” here is Hestia, whose hatred for heathens, albeit motivated by self-hatred in the end, is huge.

In fact, I’m not sure the text ever adequately explained why sisters like Rachel and Hestia all started manifesting their powers only after the church dissolved. But I’ll take a stab at it here.

The power they can access comes from within. Joining the Church of the Bloodshot Eyeball means suspending that which is within you, so even if you have it in you to be a holy warrior, you’re not going to achieve that potential with Scarlett’s “guidance” affecting your every thought. Related theory: the Ritual of Blood Bond has been used before on the most unruly sisters, and it suppressed any powers they would’ve developed, until Scarlett’s death freed them to chart their own destinies.