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Sisters of Battle

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Sisters of Battle
Targetdrone.gif Sisters of Battle redirects here. For the novel series, see Sisters of Battle (Novel Series).

The Sisters of Battle are the armed wing and Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas. The Sisters of Battle serve as the standing army of the Ecclesiarchy.

History

A Battle Sister of the Adepta Sororitas[6]

The Sisters of Battle, like the rest of the Adepta Sororitas, trace their history back to the troubled times of the Age of Apostasy. On a backwater world named San Leor an all-female cult dedicated to the worship of the Emperor, known as the "Daughters of the Emperor", were discovered by members of the Ecclesiarchy. Goge Vandire, the High Lord of the Administratum (and also Ecclesiarch of the Adeptus Ministorum), decided to visit San Leor and recruit the Daughters into his own private army. The Daughters were then renamed the "Brides of the Emperor" and became Lord Vandire's most loyal followers.[Needs Citation]

As the events of the Age of Apostasy progressed 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 then reverted to their original 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.[Needs Citation]

Following these events the Adeptus Ministorum as a whole was re-organised, including the forces of the Adepta Sororitas. Along with the establishment of the non-militant Orders, the Orders Militant were divided between the two Convents on Terra and Ophelia VII with Alicia Dominica as the the Head of the entire organisation.[Needs Citation]

In 378.M36, Ecclesiarch Alexis XXII divided the Orders Militant of the Convent Sanctorum and Convent Prioris into four Orders:[1]

In 878.M38, Ecclesiarch Deacis VI founded two more Orders Militant in honour of the remaining two saints who accompanied Alicia Dominica to the Golden Throne:[1]

Overview

A Sisters of Battle Convent

The Battle Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas are the mainstay of the Adeptus Ministorum's armies. Equipped and trained to the highest Imperial standards, the Sisters of Battle specialize in waging Wars of Faith and purging heresy wherever it may be found.[7] Because of this, its duties often overlap with the Ordo Hereticus of the Inquisition and as a result the Sisters of Battle maintain a close alliance with the Witch Hunters.[8] The Sisters of Battle themselves are divided into six Orders, each numbering tens of thousands of Battle Sisters, and many Orders Minoris, each containing thousands of Sisters themselves. These forces are rarely deployed in full-strength, rather being assigned to waging Wars of Faith, aiding the Inquisition, or protecting Ecclesiarchy buildings, property, and relics.[12]

Organisation

See main article Organisation of the Adepta Sororitas

The Orders Militant are organized similarly to the other major Orders of the Adepta Sororitas. The primarily organizational units are:[7b]

  • Order - Led by the head Canoness, called the Canoness Superior, who runs the entire Order.[7b]
  • Preceptory - A subsidiary convent or a large tactical detachment with up to 1,000 Sisters led by a Canoness Preceptor.[7b]
  • Commandery - Normally smaller convents or detachments of militant Sisters with up to 200 Sisters, led by a Canoness Commander.[7b]
  • Mission - The smallest organisation of Sisters, consisting of a few units and can be led by a Canoness or the lesser Palatine.[6b]

Orders

Major Orders Militant
Convent Sanctorum (Ophelia VII) Convent Prioris (Terra)
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
Organization of the Sisters of Battle[25a]
Lesser Orders Militant

Since their founding, the Major Orders Militant have established a number of subsidiary convents at sites significant to the Ecclesiarchy. Sometimes little more than small Garrisons, these bases have developed identities distinct from their parent Orders over time, eventually becoming separate Orders all together. These smaller Orders are referred to as the Lesser Orders Militant. In theory, the leaders of the Lesser Orders are answerable to the leaders of the Major Order that spawned them.[2a]

Named Lesser Orders Militant

Inner Circle

The Inner Circle of the Daughters of the Emperor is a secretive group drawn from the senior members of each Order Militant, tasked, inter alia, with blessing Sororitas forces in the employ of the Ordo Hereticus in the eve of battle. Such blessings magnify the abilities of Sisters to perform Acts of Faith.[17]

Ranks

Forces

A group of Orders Militant Seraphim[9b]

A typical Order of the Sisters of Battle will consist of:[25c]

Armoury

The Order of the Bloody Rose battle Xenos at the Basilica of Saint Char[25]

The wargear of the Adeptas Sororitas is supplied by the Adeptus Mechanicus since the times of the Age of Apostasy when the Ecclesiarch Goge Vandire and Fabricator General Gastaph Hediatrix signed the treaty Known as the Writ Illuminat. Every piece of wargear supplied to the Adepta Sororitas is first taken to either the Convent Prioris on Terra or the Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII. There they are blessed by choirs of novitiates in rites that can last for days or even weeks. Weapons are daubed in sacred oils and polished by cloths that have been touched by saints. Every bolt and chainsword tooth is inscribed with verses from the Fede Imperialis - the Battle Hymn of the Adepta Sororitas. Specialty wargear destined to be wielded by a Canoness are sometimes sprinkled with a blood of martyrs, before being placed amongst the crypts of fallen saints to lie in repose until it is taken up by its bearer. A Sister will usually make a pilgrimage to the Convent of her Order to have her wargear bestowed upon her.[25a]

The Sisters of Battle use a version of power armour designed for the human shape and size, known as Sororitas Power Armour. Sororitas Power Armour is the only enduring legacy of the reign of Goge Vandire, who commissioned the armour for his Brides of the Emperor, where today it serves the Sisters of Battle. Crafted by the forges of Mars, Sororitas Power Armour is relatively lighter than most suits, providing excellent protection and increased strength at negligible loss to the user's mobility and agility thanks to plug ports that link the Sister's musculature directly to the enhanced fibre bundle network within their power armour.[30] It uses the same power source as the Astartes, and thus will effectively last forever if properly maintained and undamaged.[5]

Sisters of Battle Power Armour

A Sister Superior in full Sororitas Power Armour[46]

All Sisters, with the exception of the Sisters Repentia, are equipped with a suit of Adepta Sororitas Power Armour[5a].

Though Sororitas Power Armour provides the same level of protection as suits worn by the Space Marines, the lack of a Black Carapace means the Battle Sister cannot fully interface with the armour and so lacks the same strength enhancement and other advanced life-support features found in Astartes power armour.[3] Still, Sororitas Power Armour does improve the user's strength and allows them to better handle heavy weapons more easily.[42] The 'Sabbat' Pattern Sororitas Helm has been a standard part of this power armour since the mid-38th Millennium. In addition to a comm-link and rebreather unit for limited operation in a total vacuum, the helmet includes full-spectrum filtering and psycho-oculal buffering to assist the (less physically durable) human mind from being rendered insensible by battlefield conditions.[3] For the Battle Sisters of the Calixis Sector, this helm is issued only after they have proven themselves worthy of wearing it.[42]

Holy Trinity

Wherever possible the Sisters of Battle use the holy trinity of weapons, that of the bolter, flamer, and melta[5c]. There are few exceptions to this rule, the most notable being melee weapons, plasma pistols sometimes used by Sister Superiors[6], and the missiles of the Exorcist[5c]. * The rank and file are primarily equipped with a Godwyn-De'az pattern boltgun[7] and bolt pistol[5a].

The Sisters of Battle possess limited armoured support: the Rhino and Immolator as personnel carriers[5d], and the Exorcist to provide fire support[5b].

Fleet

The Sisters of Battle utilize their own warships of at least Cruiser class, apparently the same types operated by the Imperial Navy.[23] Known types of vessels employed are the Retribution Class Battleship,[41] Dauntless Class Cruiser[23] and the Piety Class Cruiser.[40a] The Battleship Martyr's Halo is used as the flagship for the Abbess of the Adepta Sororitas.[40b]

Deployments of the Sisters of Battle[25b]

Notable Members

Main article: Known Members of the Adepta Sororitas

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Modern Imperial Organizations
Adeptus Terra Adeptus Administratum (Adeptus Astartes • Departmento Munitorum • Astra Militarum • Ordo Tempestus • Imperial Fleet • Imperial Navy • Merchant Fleet • Praeses Mercatura • Navis Nobilite • Officio Assassinorum • Estate Imperium • Templars Psykologis • Officio Sabatorum • Officio Medicae • Officio Agricultae • Officio Logisticarum • Departmento Exacta • Astra Cartographica • Logis Strategos • Departmento Processium • Departmento of Final Consideration • Departmento Contagio • Departmento Gradio • Questio Logisticus • Rogue Traders • Imperial Commanders) • Adeptus Astra Telepathica (Sisters of Silence • League of Black Ships • Scholastica Psykana) • Adeptus Astronomica • Adeptus Arbites • Adeptus Custodes • Questor Imperialis (House Guard) • Adeptus Fidicius • Synopticon
Adeptus Mechanicus Cult Mechanicus • Collegia Titanica • Legiones Skitarii • Questor Mechanicus (House Guard) • Centurio Ordinatus • Ordo Reductor • Legio Cybernetica • Auxilia Myrmidon • Prefecture Magisterium • Basilikon Astra • Divisio Linguistica • Explorator • Sect Missionarius Mechanicus • Collegiate Extremis • Astynomia
Adeptus Ministorum Holy Synod • Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle) • Schola Progenium • Missionarius Galaxia • Creed Temporal • Frateris Militia
Inquisition Ordo Malleus • Ordo Hereticus • Ordo Xenos • Ordo Minoris

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