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Adepta Sororitas

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Ordo Hereticus

The Adepta Sororitas (also "the Sisterhood" or "Daughters of the Emperor") are an all-woman subdivision of the religious organization known as the Ecclesiarchy or Ministorum. The Sisterhood's Orders Militant serve as the Ecclesiarchy's fighting arm, mercilessly rooting out corruption and heresy within humanity and every organization of the Adeptus Terra.

There is naturally some overlap between the duties of the Sisterhood and the Inquisition; for this reason, although the Inquisition and the Sisterhood remain entirely separate organizations, the Orders Militant of the Sisterhood also act as the unofficial militant arm of the Inquisition's Ordo Hereticus.

The Adepta Sororitas and the Sisters of Battle are commonly regarded as the same thing, but the latter title technically refers only to the Orders Militant, the best-known part of the organization.

The Sisterhood serves as Ministorum's only official military forces because the Decree Passive rules that the Ecclesiarchy cannot maintain any men under arms. This was supposed to limit the power of the Ecclesiarchy. However the Ministorum were able to circumvent this decree by using the all-female force of the Sisterhood.

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Founding

The Adepta Sororitas date their founding from the 36th millennium, and more specifically from the later events of the Age of Apostasy. The majority of their initial influx was recruited from the pre-existing Brides of the Emperor, the all-female bodyguard force employed by Goge Vandire. Loyal to the Emperor, the Brides (initially called the Daughters of the Emperor, but renamed by Vandire) were misled by the insane Vandire into fulfilling his own designs. When the truth of the matter, and Vandire's corruption, was revealed, the leader of the Daughters executed Vandire in his own audience chamber. The Daughters of the Emperor were at a loss after this event, and so the Ecclesiarchy took the opportunity to recruit and indoctrinate them into the newly formed Adepta Sororitas, the Ecclesiarchy's all-female military, circumventing the Decree Passive's strictures against the Ecclesiarchy possessing an armed force.

The Adepta Sororitas has its origins on the world of San Leor. An order known as the Daughters of the Emperor, an all-female cult dedicated to worship of the Emperor, had been discovered there by members of the Ecclesiarchy. Goge Vandire, the High Lord of the Administratum (and also Ecclesiarch of the Adeptus Ministorum), decided to pay a visit to San Leor and recruit the Daughters into his own private army. The Daughters, at first, refused to accept his authority. Vandire decided to show them that he was blessed by the Emperor - he instructed a soldier in his entourage to shoot him, which after a brief hesitation, he did. However, thanks to the protective field generated by the Rosarius of the Ecclesiarch (which no one but Vandire himself was aware of), Vandire was not harmed. The Daughters took this to be a sign, and swore allegiance to Vandire virtually on the spot. They became the Brides of the Emperor, and were Vandire's most loyal followers.

During the Siege of the Ecclesiarchal Palace, the Adeptus Custodes, the praetorians of the Emperor himself, tried to approach the Brides and convince them of Vandire's treachery. In a last ditch effort to convince them, the Custodes took Alicia Dominica, leader of the Brides, and her chosen bodyguards deep into the Imperial Palace where they stood before the Emperor himself. What happened there remains unknown - Dominica and her companions were sworn to secrecy - but it became clear that the Brides, who reverted to the title of Daughters of the Emperor, had been awakened to the evil that Vandire represented. Marching into his audience chamber, Dominica paused only to condemn Vandire for his crimes before she beheaded the power-crazed dictator. Reportedly, Vandire's final words were "I don't have time to die - I'm too busy!"

After this episode, the Decree Passive was proclaimed by newly appointed Ecclesiarch Sebastian Thor. Under the literal interpretation of the decree however, the Adepta Sororitas were not obligated to disband because the decree made only explicit mention of "men under arms." Thor, recognizing the need for the Ecclesiarchy to have some kind of force and internal regulator, allowed them to remain, even if the spirit of the decree was rather blatantly disregarded.

Trained to the highest levels possible and possessed of a phenomenal belief in the Emperor, the Sisters would go on to engage in Wars of Faith, bringing the light of the Emperor to parts of the galaxy that had fallen into darkness.1

Organization

High Lords of Terra
Ecclesiarch Ordo Hereticus
Abbess of the Adepta Sororitas (position currently unoccupied)
Convent Sanctorum (Ophelia VII) Convent Prioris (Terra)
Orders Militant
Order of the Bloody Rose Order of the Sacred Rose
Order of Our Martyred Lady Order of the Ebon Chalice
Order of the Valorous Heart Order of the Argent Shroud
Orders Hospitaller
Order of the Eternal Candle Order of the Cleansing Water
Order of Serenity Order of the Torch
Orders Famulous
Order of the Key Order of the Holy Seal
Order of the Gate Order of the Sacred Coin
Orders Dialogous
Order of the Holy Word Order of the Sacred Oath
Order of the Quill Order of the Lexicon
Orders Minoris - Minor Orders
Order of the Eternal Gate
Order of the White Rose

In the 41st millennium, the Adepta Sororitas is part of the Ecclesiarchy and is divided into two Convents. The Convent Prioris located on Terra, and the Convent Sanctorum based on Ophelia VII.

The overall commander and spiritual leader of the entire Sisterhood is the Abbess Sanctorum, leader of the Convent Sanctorum on Terra. As the leader of the Adepta Sororitas, the Abbess Sanctorum is sometimes elected into the High Lords of Terra2a.

Orders

The Convents of the Sisterhood are organized into several Orders. Each Order follows the same basic hierarchical structure7:

  • Order: Led by the head Canoness called the Canoness Superior who runs the entire Order.
  • Preceptory: An organization of individual convents with up to 1,000 Sisters, equivalent to an Adeptus Astartes Chapter, lead by a Canoness Preceptor.
  • Commandery: Normally smaller convents or detachments of militant Sisters with up to 200 Sisters, led by a Canoness Commander.
  • Mission: The smallest organization of Sisters, consisting of a few units and can be lead by a Canoness or the lesser Palatine.

Other Orders

The famous Orders Militant follow the ways of war. Other orders do not follow this way per se and rather follow the ways of Study.

  • Orders Hospitaller: aid the poor, and heal the sick and the wounded in many hospitals and clinics of the Sisterhood. Some of their hospitals are part of Imperial crusades.
  • Orders Dialogous: help to translate the innumerable dialects and slangs used throughout the Imperium. At the behest of the Inquisition and certain parties they also study Xenos languages1, also translating texts obtained from Xeno artifacts. Sisters Dialogous are often employed as Sages in Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors' retinues.2
  • Orders Famulous: organize and maintain households of certain Imperial governors3 and Imperial nobles, serving as advisers and by their very presence reminding them of their higher loyalties. They oppose any disloyalty with the support of faithful followers from the inside of the household itself4.

Besides these famous major Orders there is also an unknown number of Minor Orders whose functions are widely unknown. We know of the Order of the Eternal Gate5 whose responsibility is the retrieval of relics and artefacts for the Ecclesiarchy. Also known is the Order of the White Rose6 whose main task is unknown. This order split away from the Order of the Sacred Rose in the latter part of M39.

Ranks

  • Abbess: the commander of the Convent Sanctorum on Terra; also the overall spiritual leader of the Sisterhood. In military matters she is assisted the Prioress of the Convent Sanctorum. Although there is only a single Abbess, her full title is Abbess Sanctorum. Presently the position is vacant.
  • Prioress: the overall commander of a single convent.
  • Canoness: the overall leaders of the individual Orders.

Orders Militant ranks

  • Sister Superior: leads a single squad of Battle Sisters.
  • Seraphim: only the very best Battle Sisters are able to join this elite. Seraphim receive special training and equipment.
  • Dominion: Standard battle sisters with special weapons
  • Retributor: Standard battle sisters with heavy weapons
  • Celestine: See Seraphim
  • Battle Sister: the basic rank of Adepta Sororitas.

Unit types

Main article: Adepta Sororitas Army List

Equipment

Main article: Adepta Sororitas Armoury

The primary individual weapon of the Adepta Sororitas is the boltgun. Weapon specialists tend to use flame and heat-based weapons such as flamers and multi-meltas, and other weapons with a purifying effect.

Battle Sisters use a form of power armour - although lacking the black carapace implant of the Space Marines, they cannot interface with the armour to the same degree of Space Marines.

They also make use of very strong faith-based powers in battle.

Famous members

Problems with canon

Until second edition's Sisters of Battle codex, the Convent Sanctorum was described as being on Terra, with the Prioris on Ophelia IV. In the codex, Gav Thorpe reverses the locations of the Convents; he also changes the name of Ophelia IV to Ophelia VII.

The following statement comes from the Codex: Sisters of Battle 2nd edition: "A sign of the Sisters strength is the fact that in their entire history only a single sister, Miriael Sabathiel, has fallen to the lure of Chaos. How Miriael fell is unknown, only that she was turned from the Emperor's light to Slaanesh worship, and now serves as one of the prince of chaos' greatest warriors."

However this is clearly contradicted by the Graphic novel Daemonifuge in which a Sister was seduced by a Navigator (who had been corrupted by a daemonic servant of Slaanesh) and several Sisters were completely corrupted by a Keeper of Secrets, a greater Daemon of Slaanesh. The novel "Cain's Last Stand", It is also stated that an entire Mission of Sisters were seen engaging Imperial forces with Chaos cultists, Cain is also confronted by two sisters under Daemon influence. It is quite hard to believe that only a single Sister fell to the corruption of Chaos during all these thousands of years, but possible nevertheless.

Sources

See also

Ordo Hereticus Army List
HQ Canoness • Palatine • Inquisitor Lord • Priest
Elites Arco-flagellants • Callidus Assassin • Celestian Squad • Culexus Assassin • Death Cult Assassin • Eversor Assassin • Inquisitor • Vindicare Assassin • Repentia
Troops Battle Sister Squad • Inquisitorial Storm Troopers • Zealots
Seconded Units: IG Armoured Fist Squad • IG Infantry Platoon • SM Tactical Squad • SM Scout Squad
Fast Attack Dominion Squad • Seraphim Squad
Seconded Units: IG Rough Rider • IG Sentinel Squadron • SM Assault Squad • SM Bike Squadron • SM Land Speeder Squadron
Heavy Support Exorcist • Immolator • Penitent Engine • Orbital Strike • Retributor Squad
Seconded Units: IG Leman Russ • SM Devastators • SM Dreadnought • SM Predator
Transport Rhino • Chimera • Immolator
Retrieved from "http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Adepta_Sororitas#Ranks"
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