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EDIT: Decided to make this into a painting thread to maybe help me get some progress done on my (increasingly diverse) Imperial army. Thanks for looking! +++Brother Librarian Giles+++ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ +++INDEX+++ Adeptus Ministorum Bernie the Ministorum Priest - 2015-10-15 Astra Militarum Infantry Squad 1 (with alt. heads) - 2017-07-02 Heavy Weapon Team (Capycannon) - 2017-08-15 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I converted and painted a ministorum priest for my Sisters of Battle yesterday! I quite happy with the result, so I want to share it with you guys! Hope it gives you an idea or inspiration too! Thanks for looking! Brother Librarian Giles

Someone suggested elsewhere the idea of a Holy Crusade army - with a small core of SoB leading a regiment of Imperial Guard. This idea really appealed to me but I'm looking for some advice with regard to implementing it: Firstly, which SoB units to use as the leaders of the crusade. I was thinking St. Celestine and maybe some Priests, but are there any other units I should consider? Second, any suggestions regarding the IG part of the army? I'd like to use primarily infantry but I'm wondering how best to kit them out to represent their being led by SoB. Should I use Meltas and Flamers? Also, should the sergeants have melee weapons or such? Any specific IG units you think would work for this theme? Finally, any other advice or suggestions for this theme? (I've posted this on the SoB section as well, hopefully that's okay.)

As part of the Liber Unity Project, this thread exists so that the community can create a new Sisters of Battle Minor Order. We will need to consider why they were founded, what they're like and what separates them from their fellow Sisters. (Post to be updated) I look forward to your participation! Mol.

Index Sororitas: The Order of the Risen Saint Origins: It is perhaps ironic that the beginnings of the Order of the Risen Saint would begin far from the guiding light of Terra on a backwater world on the edge of an area of space known simply as The Drift. In the days before the rise of the Serico Triumvate, a successionist empire that ended up claiming half of the Drift before its ends at the hands of an Imperial Crusade, the small somewhat unremarkable world of Renatus was troubled by an outbreak of a disease that would become known simply as 'The Wasting'. Renatus was a fairly resource poor world, most notable for its vast numbers of population working in squalid work camps. It was in one of these camps that the disease began. Causing a slow painful wasting away of the unfortunate victims muscle mass then it would attack their vital organs, eventually causing the victim to suffocate, starve or simply drop dead as their various organs failed. Efforts to contain the disease failed as quarentines on the planet were breached and soon the Wasting was spreading to every settlement on Renatus. After investigation by agents of the Ordo Hereticus determined that the virus was not malificent in nature but rather a natural pathogen and with efforts to stop or treat the disease simply ineffective the Imperial made the only decision they could. To protect the greater Imperium a blockade was established around the planet by the Imperial Navy. Dictator Class cruisers stood silent sentinel over the planet, mercilessly gunning down any vessels attempting to leave the planet. As the Wasting spread on the planet and supplies began to run out the population of Renatus began to die in great numbers. The Imperial plan was simply to wait out the disease and, when it had claimed all those suceptible to it for Imperial Forces to return to the planet. This would have remained the case if it had not been for a miracle of the Emperor. As the fleets watch grew long a small vessel approached from the greater Imperium. Manned by a small number of Ministorum servants and commanded by a young woman named Avelene. Avelene spoke with the Imperial Navy Admiral and, although she wouldn't say where she came from, she spoke of a vision given to her by the God-Emperor of the suffering of the people of Renatus and gave her the mission to go their and heal their illness. The Admiral, a pious man by nature, begrudginly agreed to let the vessel through. His mandate was, after all, to stop those leaving the planet not stop anyone from entering. And so Avelene was let pass and her crew landed on the planet near a vast cathederal of the Emperor. The cathederal was in ruins, desecrated by those who thought the Emperor had turned against them. Gathering her servants about her she began to travel to those areas effected by the Wasting, offering healing and prayer to those under its grip. It wasn't long before word of her acts of faith began to spread and her group of followers began to swell. People from all across the planet began to journey to help her and even some of the Imperial Navy crews from the fleet above were moved by her pious dedication and made for the planet surface.Hope grew on the planet as it seemed the Emperor had sent someone to save them. Then tragedy struck when Avelene herself contracted the Wasting. Rather then allow herself to be treated she continued to travel around to those whom needed her blessing and healing. When her illness became too great she was laid in a bed in the heart of the Cathederal where she first landed and insisted to see those whom could seek her out even on her death bed. But no matter how strong her faith or how great her devotion the Wasting eventually claimed her and she passed away quietly in her sleep. As news grew of her death despair sunk in and although her followers attempted to continue her work a miasma of grief shrouded the planet. She was laid to rest in the tombs beneath the cathederal and the people of Renatus began to slowly wait for death to claim them. Her followers formed an honour guard to watch over her body from those whom would desecrate it out of either malcontent or misplaced fealty. None were allowed to see her and a vigil was established. It wasn't until the third day when a stranger arrived at the Cathederal. Cloaked in hessian robes and leaing heavily on a crooked staff the stranger asked to see the body of the Preacher Avelene. It was only approapriate that the follower whom stopped her was the former Admiral of the fleet still in blockade around the planet. The man spoke with an accent of those from Renatus but the former Admiral knew something was not ordinary about the stranger. Despite protestations from the other followers on vigil the admiral let the stranger pass. The man payed his respects to the fallen healer before disappearing into the night. The next night when the vigil changed the next watch arrived to find the body of Avelene gone. A search for her remains was stopped when they found her, kneeling in prayer at the feet of the Emperor's Altar, still clad in her black funeral robes, very much alive. She wouldn't tell them of what had happened but what was apparent was that she was fully cured of the Wasting. Whats more when she blessed those whom suffered from the disease within days their health returned and they were cured. Avelene and her followers spread out across the planet and those they blessed in the God Emperor's name were cured within days. It wasn't long before Renatus was disease free. Avelene petitioned for the blockade to be broken and the Renatus' people to be let free but were denied. It wasn't long, however, until word of the miracles of Avelene and her followers spread to the greater Imperium and Ecclisiarch Pious sent a representitive to the planet. The Arch-Confessor Thormis Avolo soon arrived with all the pomp and ceremony as befitting one of his status. He, after investigation, found the claims of the planets cure to be true. When he asked to speak to the young Avelene she was nowhere to be found. While the rest of her followers searched for her the former Admiral knew exactly where she would be. She was found, kneeling in prayer before the altar, a rosarious clasped in her hands and a look of peace on her face. It seemed, her work done, she had returned to the Emperor's side. Declaring Renatus' recovery a miracle the Arch-Confessor returned to report his findings to the Ecclesiarch. Avelene's followers sealed her in stasis where she knelt in repose and many pilgrims began to travel to see her body from all across the Drift and even from the Greater Imperium. A decade after her death Avelene is declared a saint of the Imperium and the number of pilgrims grows. Soon many of the ill or wounded from across the Imperium began to travel to the Shrine on Renatus to look upon the body of St. Avelene. As the numbers of those needing medical treatment on Renatus grew an order of the Sisters Hospitilar were founded to aid those in need of care. Dedicated to the memory of St. Avelene they were named the Order of the Risen Saint. The Order grew rapidly in both numbers and fame, with sisters of the Order serving alongside many of the Imperial forces fighting against the growing unrest in the East of the Drift as well as enemies in the Greater Imperium. Known for both their dedication and faith the order lived by the teachings of St Avelene of dedication to any and all who needed it no matter the risk to themselves. As the threat of the Serico Triumvate rose many sisters of the order stood alongside the Imperial forces against the growing force. Despite not being regarded as a true threat to the Imperium the Triumvate began to grow in power and slowly, world by world, they gained ground against the Imperial Forces. The number of wounded and dying on Renatus soon outnumbered the living and it wasn't long until the Triumvate's forces arrived in orbit over Renatus. The Canonness Athina Veaux, a native born Renatian, assembled her sisters and stired them to action. Their's was a duty to the wounded and dying. A duty given by Avelene and through her the Emperor himself. It was a duty they wouldn't fail. And so the sisters took up arms in defense of their charges. As the Triumvate's forces pushed against the PDF of Renatus the embattle guardsmen wer ejoined by ebon power armour clad warrior women with sacred bolters in hand. The angels of mercy soon became angels of death, repulsing wave after wave of secessionist forces. Even so the loyalists were slowly driven back until soon they stood in the very cathederal Avelene had once stood. As dawn broke on what seemed to be the orders last days a great shout went up from the cathederal, St Avelene's body was gone. But as the sister's marched with grim resolve into the very teeth of death itself they were joined at their forefront by a figure in gleaming emerald robes and ebon black armour, wielding a sword of purest white. St Avelene had returned to lead her children to victory. And indeed victory was achieved that day, the glorious saint leading her sisters against the Triumvate forces and eventually driving them off the planet. When the battle was over St Avelene disappeared and was found in repose in the Cathederal again. The Triumvate forces would never again return to Renatus, having been so effectively crushed in what many spoke of as a miracle. Indeed the planet was avoided completely by the secessionists until the Triumvate's destruction at the hands of an Imperial Crusade. On that last day of Renatus' seige however, as the last Triumvate soldiers lay dying on the soil of the Shrine World's fields, Canonness Athina declared her Order would serve soley as Hospitilar no longer but now would serve in a more militant role as well. Since then the Order of the Risen Saint has serves across the Imperium against any and all foes, serving both to save the wounded, and deal death to those whom have wounded them. Homeworld: Renatus was, before the Wasting, a back water planet regarded only for its cheap and plentiful labour. Since St Avelene's rise and death and the founding of the Order of the Risen Saint the planet has become a beautiful Shrine World. Where muddy fields once baked under a heavy sun and workers toiled now lie carefully tended gardens and forests. Sweaty, dirty and crowded labour camps have been replaced by shrines and contemplation groves. Pilgrims flock to the planet to lay eyes on the in stasis remains of St Avelene. At the heart of this all lies the great Cathederal where St. Avelene kneels in eternal prayer. Hardly touched since Avelene's time the Cathedral is stewarded by the descendants of the Saint's followers. The grounds of the Cathedral have been replaced with a vast hospital where the sick and wounded come hoping for Avelene to heal them. The scars of the Triumvate's invasion can still be found in the quieter corners of the world. Abandoned bunker complexes lay beneath wodded forests and crashed orbital shuttles serve as a base for pilgrim villages. The Triumvate's touch is never forgotten but rather servges as a constant reminded of the saving power of the God Emperor. Notable Members: St Avelene: St Avelene's rise from death served as a beacon for her faithful in their fight against the Wilting and then again when the Triumvate's forces invaded. St Avelene has appeared to her sisters on four seperate occasions since that day. Everytime she appears when times seem most dire for her followers and everytime she leads them to victory before disappearing once battle is concluded. She is regarded as a saint on the Imperium and many credit their lives to her saving grace. Canonness Athina Veaux: Athina Veaux was born to a poor pilgrims family on Renatus and, when her parents died from their illness, she passed into the care of the Order. Her fiery passion and unwavering dedication soon saw her rise throught he ranks of the Order, after serving as command of a mission against the Triumvate, she returned to be raised to Canonness of the Order. Athina served with dedication when Renatus was invaded and was responsible for the order's change to a more militant role. It has been said that her rise to power at this time was a goft from the Emperor himself as none could have been more suited for the changes the Order had to undergo at the time. Athina would continue to lead her Order in victory after victory until she eventually fell in battle against WAAAAGH!!!! Rittagit many years later. Canonness Lucia Kellithan: The current Canonness of the Order of the Risen Saint Lucia was the daughter of an influential General on the planet of Arvenhiem when the planet fell under the scythes of the ancient xeno menance known as the Necrontyr. Like many of the orphans from that conflict she was passed into the care of the Order following the eventual defeat of the xenos on Gerithan VI and was raised to serve in the Order's ranks. Lucia was often found praying at the feet of Avelene's body and her faith was an inspiration to all. Her soft spoken nature hid an iron hard resolve and steel sharp wit. She would eventually be placed in command of the Order follwing the death of the Order's former leader during the Lauss Rift Crusade. Notable Conflicts: The Battle of Renatus: The Serico Triumvate arrives on Renatus and besieges the planet. They are eventually turned aside by the risen Saint Avelene. WAAAAAAGH!!!!! Rittagit: Shortly following the destruction of the Triumvate a vast Waaaaagh! arrives from below the galactic plain and crashes into the Drift. Despite the death of Canonness Athina the xenos are crushed. Winter's Reach: On the planet of Winter's Reach the Order of the Risen Saint fight at the request of Inquisitor Gaelin against a seemingly unending horde of plague zombies led by traitors in white armour. Despite this through faith and fury the Sisters purge the planet of all of the Chaos taint. The Sword in Shadow: The planet of Pious declares itself free of Imperial Rule. The Order of the Risen Saint arrive to subdue the planet but before the first shot is fired the Planetary Governor surrenders unconditionally after black and silver clad warriors kill over half the planets ruling elite in one night. Although unknown at the time it is later revealed to have been the work of the Silver Swords Astartes Chapter, descendants of Corax. The Reaver's Rise: A vast contigent of the Xeno Necrontyr cut a swathe of destruction across the Drift. At the cost of countless lives, both mortals, sisters and indeed even astartes the xenos are eventually defeated on Gerithan VI. The Lauss Rift Crusade: In M.41 a vast Traitor force under the command of the Dread Sorcerer Marou shatters the defences of the Lauss Rift and besige the sectors homeworld. The Order of the Risen Saint commit a mission to the cause that are all but destroyed at the Battle for Transcendece when the planet is flooded with daemons from the Warp. NOTE: Sisters of the Order wear green robes, the colour St. Avelene wore in life and black armour, the colour of the funeral garbs she was laid to rest in.

Afternoon all. I've been quite happy and intrigued by the possibilities of the Agents Codex. It's by no means perfect but I do feel there is potential for fun and it opens up a whole new toolbox for Imperial armies. I've been looking at putting together an all agents list as I can fill out alot of it using things I already own. My own reading confirms the internets consensus that the Imperialis Fleet detachment has the most competitive potential. But it's the Ordo Hereticus Detachment that calls to me, and it's Sister and Arbites units I'd like to purchase. This is my first go at an all rounder force. Purgation Force Detachment Strike Force 2000pts Epic Heroes Inquisitor Greyfax - Warlord Eversor Assassin Vindicare Assassin Characters Inquisitor - Psychic Gifts - Psychic Shockwave - Force Weapon - No Escape Ministorum Priest - Power weapon and Holy Pistol - Liber Heresius Battleline Units Vigilant Squad - Executioner Shotgun - Arbites Grenade Launcher - Nuncio-Aquila Vigilant Squad - Executioner Shotgun - Arbites Grenade Launcher - Nuncio-Aquila Other Units Inquisitorial Agents - 10 Inquisitorial Agents, 2 Gun Servitors - 2x Tome Skulls - 2x Plasma Pistols - 2x Eviscerators - 2x Mystic Staves - Gun Servitors: 2x Multi-Meltas Subductor Squad - Nuncio-Aquila Grey Knights Terminator Squad - 1x Psycannon - 1x Ancient’s Banner - 1x Narthecium Grey Knights Terminator Squad - 1x Psycannon - 1x Ancient’s Banner - 1x Narthecium Sisters of Battle Squad - Simulacrum Imperialis - Meltagun - Multi-Melta - Sister Superior: Power Weapon and Combi-Weapon Sisters of Battle Squad - Simulacrum Imperialis - Meltagun - Multi-Melta - Sister Superior: Power Weapon and Combi-Weapon Dedicated Transports Imperial Rhino - Hunter-Killer Missile Inquisitorial Chimera - Chimera Heavy Bolter - Heavy Bolter - Storm Bolter - Hunter-Killer Missile Sisters of Battle Immolator - Twin Multi-Melta - Hunter-Killer Missile Sisters of Battle Immolator - Twin Multi-Melta - Hunter-Killer Missile Imperial Knights: Freeblades Armiger Warglaive - Meltagun Armiger Warglaive - Meltagun Armiger's are in this list for some anti-vehicle/monster backbone. Greyfax joins the Inquisitorial Agents in the Chimera, the Priest goes with the Subductors in the Rhino and the Inquisitor is joining a Grey Knight Squad and both will deepstrike. Both Sister Squads will split to have the Superior and gunners in the Immolators and the others will run around the backfield doing actions and such. I went for the two most expensive Assassins so that I can freely swap around depending on the match up. Key I think to playing this is to try and control the flow of battle and make sure engagements are on my army's terms. Easier said than done but with redeployment shenanigans from the Liber Heresius, Deepstriking Grey Knights and tricks to eliminate key enemies when needed I think I might have a chance in casual to semi-competitive settings and look good doing it.

I was prompted to write this by the Liber Unity Project, but as it turned out to be basically a personal project I decided to post this in a new thread. More to come on events after the Fall of Cadia Here's a PDF form of the below, a bit nicer looking +++++ Order of the Weeping Heart All information current as of just prior to the Fall of Cadia, 999.M41 Home World: Azrithine, a Minor shrine world near Dimmamar Main Colours: Black, White, Red Order Type: Order Minoris split from Order of the Valorous Heart Specialty: Screening of Ministorum and other Imperium officials, execution of those judged heretical Battle Cry: “Remember your duty, remember your sin!” Current Strength: 97 sisters Traditional Full Strength: Around 140 sisters FELICAENE THE HALLOWED “Remember Canoness Felicaene, who righted our faith and led us from self-righteousness into penance and communion with the Blessed Emperor” Sister Felicaene of the Order of the Valorous Heart was promoted to the rank of Canoness Preceptor in 121.M38. At the time, her Canoness Superior, Ahena, cited her “tactical acumen and devotion to the principles of the Adepta.” The recent revelation of the false-saint Basillus’s heresy made Felicaene’s principled beliefs all the more valuable to the Order, and she served as a senior advisor to the Canoness Superior for over twenty years. Throughout her life, Felicaene placed great stock in the Sororitas’s role in maintaining the Ecclesiarchy and preventing the events of the Reign of Blood from repeating themselves. In her eyes, Basillus was the Sisterhood’s failing. If he had been revealed as a false prophet before his rise to power, tens of thousands of Astartes would have been saved. As a Canoness Preceptor she placed increasing emphasis on screening members of the Ecclesiarchy, using her influence within the Valorous Heart to have extensive, invasive background checks performed on priests assigned to the Dioceses of the Cardinals Astral Ministra. This eccentricity, as many saw it, was tolerated by the Sororitas and Ministorum at large, even though it seldom revealed anything of note. In 143.M38, Felicaene suffered a mortal wound during the eradication of a nascent Khornate cult. Her right arm was severed, and she spent several days in a coma as she received a cybernetic replacement. At first, she seemed unchanged, but as time passed her sermons became more critical of the Sororitas’s view of themselves as the unblemished paragons of human purity. She reminded her sisters of the mistakes of the Reign of Blood and placed the blame for the Abyssal Crusade squarely on the Adepta’s shoulders. In light of this, she felt it was necessary for the Sororitas to devote the larger part of their resources to screening Ministorum personnel. She believed that Daughters of the Emperor must not only life faithfully in the way all of the Imperium should but must also continually repent for the horror of Vandire’s reign. Felicane’s convictions caused a good deal of friction between her and her fellow Canonesses. They saw her as seeking forgiveness for that which was long forgiven. Some called her an overzealous nuisance, while others said she had gone insane. However, there were those within the Valorous Heart with whom her message resonated, and many such sisters requested to be assigned to Felicaene’s command. As unusual as this was, the Canoness Preceptor was able to accept most of these disciples since their former commanders had little desire to work with such extreme views. As she became more strident in extoling her beliefs, Felicaene’s efficiency as a commander suffered. She led her followers in ritual self-mortification and prayer, and often refused to work with military elements outside the Sororitas on the grounds that they had not been properly screened. Though her military acumen carried her to success most of the time, many of Felicaene’s peers felt her actions were unbefitting of her station and that she was wasting Adepta resources. ---------- Excerpt from Canoness Preceptor Felicaene’s Feast of Saint Lucia Sermon, 147.M38 The Sisterhood on San Leor was co-opted by a heretic and reveled in heresy and debasement; only the intervention of the God-Emperor Himself saw it returned to His light. As surely as this salvation condones the Adepta’s continued existence, so sure is it that this salvation is not, and can never be, a vindication. We, who called ourselves the Daughters of the Emperor, were blinded by our own hand, and ate from the palm of an apostate. Thus, all present and future Sisters of our Orders must dedicate their lives to penance for what is passed—that which can never be repaid—and vigilance so that it may never come to pass again. Yet within the last millennium the power of the Ecclesiarchy saw fully thirty Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes cast into the Eye of Terror by a warp-tainted demagogue to face certain doom and corruption. The power of the Adeptus Ministorum was once more wielded against the will of the Emperor, under the eye of the Sororitas. We must remember, lest our sight be again shrouded by hubris: we, among all the Emperor’s servants, have wounded Him most deeply. We, among all the Ministorum’s missionaries, were charged with looking for the rot within. For us, duty till death is insufficient. Only when we make our every service a bloody penance, every victory a mortal sacrifice, can we call ourselves fit to gaze up into His light. ---------- FOUNDATION IN REGRET “We beg the Emperor’s forgiveness in prayer and in deed, that we may be found worthy to serve him” These issues came to a head with Felicaene’s sermon on the Feast of Saint Lucia in 147.M38. Her public condemnation of the Sisterhood saw her brought before Canoness Superior Ahena of the Order of the Valorous Heart. The Canonesses of the Order called for her censure and the stripping of her rank. The Canoness Superior had not yet acted on Felicaene’s behavior because of her sizable following. In removing the Canoness Preceptor from her post she risked making an ideological martyr of her. In Ahena’s view, Felicaene was still an adequate Canoness with a sharp mind, and the stripping of her rank seemed likely to cause further disruptions within the Order. However, the pressure from her other Canonesses had become too great and she was forced to act. Seeking a higher authority, she brought the issue to the Prioress of the Convent Sanctorum. In doing so, Ahena sought to shift away from herself any ill will for the punishment handed down and minimize disorder within the Valorous Heart. The Prioress spoke to both Ahena and Felicaene behind closed doors. After a period of deliberation, she agreed that censoring the Canoness Preceptor and her followers was not a viable solution. She judged Felicaene’s beliefs to be more inconvenient than inadmissible, as the Adepta did have a mandate to keep watch for corruption within the Ecclesiarchy but agreed that her disruption of the Valorous Heart’s operations could not continue. To this end, she announced the creation of a new Order Minoris, to be led by Canoness Felicaene, and comprised of any Sister of the Order of the Valorous Heart that wished to be transferred to it. There was some disquiet among the Canonesses of the Valorous Heart that Felicaene’s punishment was not really a punishment at all, but no major incidents occurred. The Prioress, Ahena and Felicaene eventually agreed to call the new Order the Weeping Heart, and placed its convent on Azrithine, a minor shrine world in the galactic vicinity of Dimmimar. Being near the birthplace of the great Saint Thor, who played such a large role in ending the Reign of Blood, pleased Felicaene, and the Prioress was satisfied with sending her troublesome sisters to the other side of the galaxy. By the date of departure from the Ophelia system, 139 sisters had requested transfer to the Order of the Weeping Heart. They boarded a long-range troop transport, which followed Imperial Navy supply lines till it reached Azrithine. The construction of the Order’s convent began shortly after. RECRUITMENT “By His hand the Imperium was born, by our blood we purify His church” Unbeknownst to both Felicaene and Ahena, the Prioress planned to taper off the flow of new Sisters to the Weeping Heart over the coming years. The troublesome Felicaene and her followers and would fade to nothing, far from Ophelia VII. In not telling the Canonesses her plans, the Prioress ensured that Felicaene would take her leave quietly from the Convent Sanctorum. What she did not plan for, however, was her own death. Just 16 months after Felicane’s departure, the Prioress took ill. Her condition continued to worsen despite the best efforts of the Orders Hospitaller, and she passed away just weeks later, taking her plans for the Weeping Heart with her. A replacement was quickly selected, but she was oblivious to the circumstances of the new Order’s founding. Thinking that her predecessor had intended for the Weeping Heart to endure, the young Prioress assigned them recruits as she did any other Order Militant. However, she found that an unusual proportion of Sisters assigned to the Weeping Heart ended up executed in disciplinary actions. This was due to the Order’s unique tenants, draconian even by the Adepta’s standards, and their eschewing of the Oath of the Penitent. Sisters that would have otherwise been consigned to the Sisters Repentia, where they would at least serve once more on the battlefield before their death, were executed outright. The Prioress’s solution was to select Sisters who seemed predisposed to the Weeping Heart’s way of thinking to assign to them. This reduced the mortality rates among newly assigned Sisters. Since it’s founding, the Weeping Heart has received varying amounts of support from the Convent Prioress. During the tenures of Prioresses especially unfriendly to the Order’s cause, its numbers shrank as low as 50 Sisters, while at times of high recruitment within the Adepta, it swelled to almost 200. However, for most of its existence the Order has maintained roughly its original size. Some Prioresses have taken advantage of the Weeping Heart’s tough discipline to dispose of those Novices they deem disobedient, but not so much that they do not complete their Novitiate. Such Sisters cannot cause trouble for the more prominent Orders Militant while assigned to the Weeping Heart, where they will either adapt to the Order’s way of life or find their life forfeit. Of course, such matters are relative, the most disobedient Novices to complete their vows among the Adepta has the discipline of the Astra Militarum’s best, and faith to match. AZRITHINE “The worlds of the Imperium are beyond number, yet each looks to Terra and its light makes them holy” Geologically, Azrithine is similar to Terra before the Age of Strife. It is covered in large proportion by salt water seas and boasts a number of substantial continents. The climate is predominantly temperate, with arid and tropical patches. Perhaps this similarity was what prompted its use as a shrine world, although a minor one. Its location to the galactic southwest of Dimmamar also lends it some small amount of import within the Imperial Cult. During the Thorian Reformation, the planet was chosen as one of the numerous new Cardinal Worlds, overseeing a portion of space that used to lie within the Diocese of Dimmamar. While a shrine world in name, Dimmamar hosts many material production facilities under the purview of the Adeptus Munitorum. Complete kits are produced for Astra Militarum regiments in the galactic vicinity, all stamped with the mark of the shrine world. Of especial note is the massive complex of printing presses and book binders in the northern hemisphere that specializes in religious texts devotional icons, including the ubiquitous Imperial Infantryman’s Uplifting Primer. ORGANIZATION “Like moths to a flame we gather in the Emperor’s light, for only He can part the galaxy’s darkness” As is usual for Adepta Sororitas Orders, the Weeping Heart is lead by a Canoness Superior. As a small Order Minoris, it has no need for additional Canonesses, though usually one or more of its sisters hold the rank of Palatine. Since the Weeping Heart does not use the Oath of the Penitent as other Orders do, it lacks a Mistress of Repentance. Since the Order’s primary concern is the purification of the Ministorum and various other Imperium organizations, many of its military actions take place in confined spaces. As such, the true combat veterans of the Order are its Celestians, well equipped for urban, and even indoor, firefights. The Weeping Heart’s Seraphim, on the other hand, often find themselves of limited use in the Order’s Missions. Instead, the Seraphim are comprised of those Sisters who exemplify the Order’s values and serve as spiritual guides for their fellows, though that is not to say they are not veteran combatants. Their skills are invaluable when the Weeping Heart takes to the field in open battle. A LIFE PENITENT “Brand your souls with the sins committed in Vandire’s Reign of Blood, for our Sisterhood shall never be forgiven” The Sisters of the Weeping Heart believe that, in addition to the normal, pious life expected of any Ministorum servant, the Sororitas must remain forever penitent for their actions in aiding the apostate Goge Vandire during his Reign of Blood. The Emperor, through Saint Thor I, allowed them to continue to serve His church, but this did not cleanse the Daughter of the Emperor of their crimes against Him. In seeking the Emperor’s continual mercy, the Sisters of the Weeping Heart scour the Imperium, especially the Ministorum, for those corrupted by greed, doubt, xeno influence or the taint of the Dark Gods. In addition, they fill their remaining hours with prayer and self-mortification, allowing themselves few indulgences even the strict standards of the Adepta. These traditions include the morning, mattin and vesper prayer services performed by all Orders. The sisters’ diet is minimal: enough to maintain their physical condition but uninteresting and unchanging. It consists mainly of breads made with nutrient-paste flour, with enriched water providing what the bread cannot. The Order’s robes are of rough make, produced on Azrithine itself, and the sisters practice ritual flagellation, which in rare cases has led to permeant physical impairment or death. The sisters’ bodies are often covered in scars from this practice, which they see as a reminder of the Sororitas’s eternal debt to the Emperor and a mark of their dedication to Him. Since the sisters of the Weeping Heart hold the Sororitas to be eternally guilty, they have a low view of the Oath of the Penitent. All sisters must be penitent at all times. In effect, they view all sisters as Sisters Repentia. Because of this, any sisters that are judged to have failed grievously in that which is expected of them are executed, rather than taking the Oath of the Penitent. The Oath is likewise never taken voluntarily, as such an act is seen as superfluous. The bodies of executed sisters are burned alongside those of heretics, and their equipment destroyed. True to their conviction, some sisters of other Orders have compared the sisters of the Weeping Heart to Repentia, their conduct in battle showing some of the same abandon in the face of death, though still tempered by proper discipline and strategy. Unlike the Convent Prioress, which is decorated in gold and stained glass like a cathedral unto itself, the Weeping Heart’s convent is sparingly appointed. The walls are made entirely of unadorned stone, and its narrow windows are filled with thick sheet of tinted glass. The convent’s chapel is the one exception, it is as richly decorated as any other, but only the upper half of the room. A large statue of the Emperor sits upon a high pedestal behind the altar, visible only if the viewer’s head is tipped upward. Statues of various Imperial Saints, including Saint Dominica and her companions, ring the room, likewise elevated. The sisters keep their eyes downcast during prayer services, for fear of seeing even the toes of the golden effigies. Only on the Feast of the Emperor’s Ascension or those of the Founding Saints do they look up in joy at their golden silhouettes. Doing so at any other time is a grave offense. Outside of the chapel, the convent contains many icons of the Emperor. In all cases, within the convent and without, these are treated as the Emperor’s personal presence. They are greeted reverently before anyone else and sisters of the Order will not speak with their back to them. Sisters have even been known to severely beat non-Sororitas who’s behavior they deem unfitting when in the Emperor’s presence. ---------- Exerpt from the Diary of Sister Mathei of the Order of the Cleansing Water Once, I treated a Sister of the Order of the Weeping Heart—they were aiding the Regiment I was attached to. Her sisters brought her into my tent with barely a word, though a few of them had holes in their armour too. She, the patient, was wounded badly. Some sort of energy weapon had pierced her gut and she was losing blood. I was able to stop the bleeding and sterilize the wound, fortunately it was mostly self-cauterizing. What truly shook me what I saw when I removed her armor: her skin was covered in welts, bruises and scars, some of which appeared to be decades old. I had seen flagellants before but nothing quite like this. Then I cut myself on her breastplate. At first, I thought I had missed an entry wound, but the inside of her armour was lined with a series of dull spines. I could see where they had abraded her skin as she fought. The patient made a full recovery and was returned to her sisters. She thanked me for saving her life, but when I asked about her scars she said, “I offer up my body to the Emperor so that my soul may be fit to fight in His name.” ---------- COMBAT DOCTRINE “We must know the vile and the obscene, for surely it knows us who walk in His light” Since they devote their resources to eliminating heresy and corruption within the Imperium, the Weeping Heart fights very few open engagements. Most military actions they take are pinpoint strikes or assassinations. The Canoness and her Sister Superiors do extensive intelligence gathering to identify targets and plan for their elimination. Because of this, the Order is most comfortable working with a carefully laid plan and the element of surprise. As these plans often lead to fighting in urban spaces or indoor complexes, Missions are usually made up of several small squads, often spearheaded by a unit of Celestians. The Order’s Dominions and Retributors seldom form dedicated units of their own, and its Seraphim are often found guarding points of egress or launching assaults through elevated windows. Traditionally, the Celestians of the Weeping Heart are the Order’s true combat veterans. They are selected for both their ability at range and in melee and serve as the weighted spear tip of the Order’s surgical strikes. Since the Seraphims’ combat roles are limited, they are selected for their fervor and dedication to the ideals laid out by Canoness Felicaene. Often, such sisters are among the most extreme in their daily practices when compared to sisters of the Orders Majoris. Souls beyond number fight and die for the Emperor and His Imperium each day. The sisters of the Weeping Heart view death in battle as simply their duty as a servant of the Emperor. However, since they constantly seek penance for the events of the Reign of Blood, simple duty is not enough. With the help of local craftsmen, they weld strips of metal spines to the inside of their armour. The number and arrangement of strips varies from sister to sister, though they are often added to or rearranged to mark significant events or achievements in a sister’s life. The spines are dulled to prevent severe injury, at least over the short term. When the armor is worn, they cause abrasions in the skin as the sister moves and fights. In addition to pain, this eventually leads to bleeding which exacerbates blood loss in a wounded sister. This makes simply wearing their armor a very real, very physical act of penance. Any loss of combat efficiency is a small price to pay to be worthy to fight in His name. The Immolator is perfectly suited to the Weeping Heart’s style of combat, and they use it extensively. Rhinos are used only when larger Missions are deployed, or when an oversized squad is deemed necessary. The Order does not possess an Exorcist, as such relics are assigned to Orders that participate in full-scale warfare. Although their operations usually require taking the target by surprise, the Weeping Heart’s vehicles are almost always fitted with Laud Hailers for use in clearing obstructive traffic in hives. STANDARD OPERATIONS “Even on hallowed ground we stand eternally vigilant, lest the Enemy hide in our own shadows” The sisters hold three prayer services daily, one after each meal. Meals, such as they are, are also taken together. This basic schedule is not much different than then that held by the Orders Majoris. Sisters away from the Convent maintain this basic schedule, often visiting local chapels, shrines or cathedrals for their prayers. In their time outside of prayers and meals, the Sisters perform their duties as watchers of the Ministorum, screening personal stationed in the galactic vicinity. From time to time they also investigate Imperial officials outside the Ministorum; this has included Adeptus Astartes chapters on rare occasions. The Weeping Heart also performs the more traditional duty of guarding Azrithine’s holy sites. The Order is far too small to station a sister at every such place on the shrine world, instead posting a single sister at each of the planet’s major cathedrals and significant or vulnerable shrines. Some members of the Ordo Hereticus find the Order’s investigative experience valuable, recruiting sisters for their cells. However, even self-proclaimed Puritans often find the sisters’ penchant for flagellation and tendency to scrutinize their masters perhaps too closely onerous. MAJOR EVENTS “Think not of the profundity of the present, but prosecute each Mission with the surety of His righteousness” 112.M38 Survivors of the Abyssal Crusade emerge from the Eye of Terror 121.M38 Sister Felicaene promoted to Canoness Preceptor in the Order of the Valorous Heart 143.M38 Canoness Preceptor Felicaene mortally wounded leading a purge of a nascent Khornate cult 146.M38 Felicaene refuses the assistance of a group of Dark Angels, arousing their suspicion and almost causing a firefight. 147.M38 Felicaene’s Feast of Saint Lucia Sermon 148.M38 The Order of the Weeping Heart officially founded 496.M38 The Order executes a priest at Denashin’s Redoubt, an asteroid-based penal colony for cult behavior outside the Imperial Cult. Three months later they execute his replacement on the same charge. This prompts an investigation by an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor, who discovers a genestealer infestation among the convicts. In their first full-scale deployment, the Weeping Heart leads the purge of the colony, eradicating the Xenos threat. 551.M39 In a rare display of force, fully one-hundred Sisters of the Weeping Heart aid the Astra Militarum in putting down a rebellious planet, but the Order suffers significant losses during the campaign. After their transports were destroyed in a rebel raid, a Mission of thirty sisters was forced to march over fifty kilometers to another fortified position. Their armor’s internal spines caused significant bleeding during the extended march, and 13 of their number collapsed from blood loss and exhaustion before they reached their goal. 781.M39 Inquisitor Xelthene of the Ordo Hereticus recruits two Weeping Heart sisters to assist her in her work. Just months later they kill one of the Inqusitor’s psyker Acolytes. The exact circumstances of the killing are unknown, but both Sisters are executed by order of Inqusitor Xelthene, with whom the Order has had no subsequent contact. 300.M40 During the Aschen War, while the holy world of Dimmamar is in revolt, the Order of the Valorous Heart deploys to the region to defend the birthplace of Saint Thor. In an extreme exercise of authority, the Canoness Superior of the Valorous Heard claims direct command over almost half of the Order of the Weeping Heart, merging them with her forces for the duration of the campaign. This was technically within her power since the Weeping Heart had been formed from the Valorous Heart. By doing so the Canoness Superior pre-empted any friction between the two Order’s command structures, but generally alienated the remainder of the Weeping Heart’s forces. Because of their severely stunted numbers, those sisters not commandeered by the Valorous Heart remained on Azrithine, preparing the world for a possible invasion in the event that the Imperium’s forces failed to contain the cult on Dimmamar. A few minor Missions were launched from Azrithine to the rebellious Cardinal World, but the Order’s diminished strength prevented any major offensives. 840.M40 The Weeping Heart investigates and eventually eliminates the Cardinal of the Azrithine Diocese, on charges of impiety, greed and obstruction of the Emperor’s Will. This investigation was sparked when the Cardinal attempted to shield one of his subordinates from the Order’s interference. The killing of a Cardinal attracted scrutiny from the Prioress and the Ecclesiarch himself, but the Weeping Heart was able to present irrefutable evidence of heresy on the part of the Cardinal and sustained only a slap on the wrist, as well as a temporary drop off in new Sisters from the Convent Sanctorum. 727.M41 A major power plant explodes on Azrithine, causing widespread panic and mass blackouts. In the wake of the hysteria, the Weeping Heart interrogates and executes scores of workers and administrators involved with the plant, though some outside the Order believe the explosion to have been accidental. Azrithine’s power grid never fully recovers from this loss of archaeotech. 999.M41 Cadia falls, the Great Rift opens, and all contact with Terra and Ophelia VII is lost. FIGURES OF NOTE “Hold the Emperor’s martyr’s in your heart, for their souls stood strong though their bodies fell” Canoness Felicaene: Canoness Preceptor of the Order of the Valorous Heart. Her extreme ideology led to the Weeping Heart’s founding and guides its traditions after her death. Canoness Ahena: Canoness Superior of the Order of the Valorous Heart who promoted Felicaene to the rank of Canoness Preceptor and brought her before the Prioress of the Convent Sanctorum, leading to the Weeping Heart’s founding. Canoness Shrivien: Current Canoness of the Order of the Weeping Heart as of 999.M41 Bassilus: False prophet who’s scheming caused the Abyssal crusade. The return and eventual vindication of its survivors would influence Felicaene’s thinking.

I've been mulling around an idea: frustrated with no Terminator equivalent and wanting to stay in faction I started looking at some stuff. If you throw a power maul on a canoness, you can have a make shift 'squad' of them for about the same points as a squad of terminators with ccw and stormshield. I'm thinking about running them with pistol upgrades (if points allow) in a rhino with a min sister squad as a wound buffer in case they pop the rhino. I wanna call it something like an Oblatia squad like from DH, or Nephilim squad... You know, something fluffy/fancy. What do you folks think?

It's been a while since I played or posted here. In previous editions with my metal army I ran something like: Celestine + Seraphim to create enemy backfield havoc Canoness warlord hidden in an Immolator with BSS to spend the entire game trying to dodge giving up a Slay the Warlord point to my opponent Dominion spam as my main combat force to overpower MEQ and TEQ saves Retributers with HB to lay down fields of fire to protect my lines and camp backfield objectives Occasionally a single giant blob BSS to tarpit and bolter spam the center pretty much all MSU in an extremely typical midfield run and gun style. I'm coming back to maybe playing again and I've got Morvenn Vahl and the Paragon warsuits and the models are so cool there is no way I cannot use them. How are people fielding them? How do they work on the table? What do they replace in a typical list and what usually supports them best? I know that's pretty broad, but I did a search and did not see a topic specifically about how people are using these two units.

I think this is a good place for this post. But if not, please I beg moderatii to move it in better place. This is not 100% Sisters of Battle art, but can be use as that. And is truly inspirational indeed. It can be perfectly a representation of a saint or martyr or the base an alternative Saint Celestine. Luna is an artist from Spain who made this illustration and many others. And the commissions are now open. You can see more illustrations and info, here: https://mobile.twitter.com/lunaevayg

https://youtu.be/TSkIj-V6WQ8 Cheers, :cuss:h

Another Friday, another week in the books, and another brand-new Glacial Geek Battle Report! https://youtu.be/eV84ocmLPbw This week my Deathwing take on the Sisters of Battle! Belial strode towards the Teleportarium, his ceramite boots banging loudly against the metal floor. He drew his Sword of Secrets and readied his Storm Bolter as he stepped up onto the platform. He readied himself with the squad of Deathwing Knights arrayed around him checking their weapons. A chapter serf ran into the room with a missive, "Sir, we have been hailed again by the Adeptus Sororitas forces on the planet's surface!" Belial glared at the man, "I made my intentions clear, we are not to respond to their hails until after our mission is over." The surf backed away a half a step, withering under the gaze of the Dark Angel's First Company Master, "Y-yes sir, but this hail seemed more important sir." Belial narrowed his eyes, "What could be so important that it would make you think that I would change my mind?" The serf cleared his throat, "Sir, this hail is coming from the Living Saint, Saint Celestine herself!" Belial paused for a moment, taken for a second with the news, "My orders still stand, no communications with them until we are done here." "Yes sir!" The serf responded as he turned and ran off. Belial stood there for a moment, thinking about the presence of the Living Saint herself being here and what that might mean. "Power coils are fully charged, sir!" called out the Techmarine manning the controls. Belial looked at him and nodded, "Send us down there, Brother." Will the Dark Angels be able to retrieve the information they need, or will Celestine lead her forces against them and stop their mission? Watch and find out!

Well, now that I've been bitten by the Sisters bug (but have no way of being able to scratch it, what with there being no proper Codex and no plastic Minis ), I've decided to delve into the background of my DIY Adepta Sororitas Order, The Order of the Dauntless Spirit. I will get around to carrying on my other stuff, but those who know me, know that I tend to rotate stuff around to stop them from getting boring (and subsequently abandoning them completely). Be also warned, there will be the usual references to Sci-fi etc....see if you can guess them all So, once again, here we go! Byzantium was a world of wonder. An orb of natural beauty that was rare in the Imperium. Untouched, undisturbed. The vigilance of the Sister of the Order or the Valorous Heart made sure it was so. No stone was unturned in their quest to seek out those who would corrupt, and would be ever unrelenting in the face of the Horrors of the Warp. A small Covent with no more than a few Hundred Sisters, their watchful eyes cast over the denizens of that world. It was a world known for it's trade in livestock. An irony, in the minds of some, that the Sheppard's of flocks are themselves watched. The Convent itself was relatively small, the Order encouraging their number to go forth, taking the word of the Emperor with them to the furthest reaches of the planet. From the lowest Valleys, to the highest peaks. Canoness, Lady Eliza Cho had risen with the dawn, like many, the routine of early mornings ground into her psyche at an early age. Having already made her morning dedication to both Saint Lucia and the Emperor of Mankind, she turned her attention to exercise regime of her new recruits. Fifty new recruits had arrived a season ago, and already most had attained enough competence to move to the next stage of training. It was true enough that the Schola Progenium had instilled discipline and fitness, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. The training cadre had noticed her interest and knew that she would want them driven harder. One such trainer had caught her eye. The Canoness walked across the hall towards her. It was impossible to be discrete. Every recruit in the Covent stopped, gawping in awe at her Armour. A tall woman with Raven hair and bright Green eyes, standing at over 6 feet without her plate, she dominated the attention of everyone. The silence was almost unbearable, no one dared speak. To attract the attention of the Canoness, was to court trouble. And someone had. The trainer had taken the Canoness aside and was whispering animatedly. The tension was palpable by now. Still listening, to her subordinate, Cho turned and stared at the recruits, her eyes hunting for an individual. All trainees averted their eyes from her gaze. Except one. That individual stared back with an uncaring look on her features, her brown eyes so dark it made them look like orbs of obsidian. Her hair, like all recruits was close cut, but hers unlike everyone else's was red, flame like and matched her temper. It did not bode well. "Recruit Saffron Sera, front and centre." Serra paused. Even she was not so wilful that she would disobey the Canoness, but for a moment... "Front and Centre!" Reluctantly, Sera stepped forward. Standing in front of the Canoness, she willed her body not to tremble. She almost succeeded. "I have just been told of your tardiness. It is not the first time you have been found wanting. What say you?" "I have nothing to say," Sera answered knowing full well that there wasn't. Five minutes late for morning exercise had no excuse, but she had a reason for it. Her contrary nature would not allow her to explain, even if she was given an opportunity to do so. "So. As you have some issue with authority, it seems that I have little choice in punishing you. You will be put in solitary confinement for two weeks. When you are released you will report to me directly for further punishment." Cho studied her carefully. No reaction. "You and you," she continued pointing at two other recruits. Ensure she reports to Solitary immediately, or you yourselves will join her!" Hastily saluting the Canoness, the two helpless girls dragged Sera towards the punishment wing. Sera offered no resistance. The detention wing was located in the East tower. Overlooking a sheer cliff edge it was a visible deterrent against heresy. It was taller than the other wings, and was demoralising just to look at. The cold hard reality of Imperial justice. Thrown in a cell, by a Sororitas, Sera looked around the place she would call home for two weeks. Sighing, she knelt before a crudely made alter, the Double headed Eagle scratched into the stone wall, she began to pray. At days end, Eliza Cho had taken to her chambers. A simple room, decorated only with a bed and desk, an alter to the immortal Emperor in the corner of the room. On the desk was a cogitator, basic but functional. Entering her authentication, she entered a request for information. The cogitator stated that it would take approximately a week for the information to be brought forth. Grimly, she wondered what to do with Saffron Sera. A bright girl, one who had excelled in Imperial History, Dogma and in weapons training, but wilful and resentful of authority. The escort from the Schola Progenium had told her that she had always been that way, and indeed been the only student to have nearly been expelled on five separate occasions. Cho wondered about that. Either the Masters there were getting far too lenient, or there was a mitigating circumstance. For Sera's sake, it had better be something exceptional. Ten days later, the information Cho had requested had arrived. Reading, Cho had no doubt as to why Sera resented authority. Making her way to the detention wing, Cho hoped that it was still possible to get through to her. Sera had knelt before the Altar for hours. Her legs had lost all feeling, but she didn't care. The screams, for Mercy and that of blasphemy from the other cells were still as unnerving as they had been when she first arrived. Praying helped blot them out. She was currently reciting a benediction, over one hundred and fifty verses long. Spoken properly, it would take over and hour to recite, and Saffron Sera was particular that it was done correctly. So distracted by her devotional prayer that she hadn't noticed her cell door had opened ten minutes earlier. Coming to the end, Sera realised that she was not alone. "I have never heard that prayer before," Cho said quietly. The prayer had stirred pangs of emotion, of piety. Whilst long winded, it had a quiet, forcefulness quality. Cho was impressed. "Where does it come from?" Sera tried to rise and stand to attention, but her legs were completely numb. Seeing her attempt, Cho gently helped the recruit up. Sera herself was shaking, still startled by Cho's appearance in the room. "Be not afraid. I know what happened that caused you to be an Orphan and send you on your way to the Progenium. I merely ask, why do you persist in your waywardness?" Sera had managed to get some feeling in her legs, and stood to as near to attention as she could. Staring straight ahead, she said nothing. "Your parents were killed by a traitor, and you left for dead. As the heretic was in a position of authority, of trust. You, by extension of what he did now have a distrust of anyone with authority. Correct?" Cho looked at Sera directly. Her face showed no emotion at all. Nothing, but one tear. Cho sighed. Whilst the girl needed to shown that her behaviour was unacceptable, she could see so much potential in her. So much, especially after listening to the benediction. She hadn't even heard all of it, but knew it took a lot of dedication to he able to recite such a powerful prayer from memory. And from what the guards had told her, she had recited the prayer daily since she had been incarcerated. "And the reason for your persistent tardiness is your devotion to reciting this prayer every morning. I'm not surprised at that. "You still have 3 days left on your penance, but I feel that it will not be best spent here. Instead you will teach me this prayer. You will subsequently teach it to all members of this order so that all will benefit from it. In return, I will show you the way to exorcise the daemon that haunts you." "How will you do that?" Sera spoke hoarsely, Cho realising that the reason Sera hadn't spoken, was because she couldn't. "We are the Adepta Sororitas, girl. We can exorcise anything". Next part soon C+C welcome!

Chapter 1- Shadows of the war High towers pierced a haze filled skyline. Scaffolding stretched to the edge of view, work on hive spire Infernus continued to this day. The great Third war for Armageddon had left no hive unmolested. Down in the smog-choked streets the masses ebbed and flowed in their usual dutiful nature, the work of the Imperium never resting. Among the teeming crowds a woman walked, her ashen skin and ivory robes causing her to stand out among the muted colors and filth. To her flank lining the sides of the street are the downtrodden, the battered poor too worn by the last war to contribute to society. They held their hands skyward in alms, praying for any small mercy. The woman walked among them tracing her fingers along their up turned palms and whispered small prayers. While thrones would serve to fill their empty stomachs, she had none, nor did they care — for only she could provide them with the Emperor's salvation. Walking among these sad souls the woman's attention is grabbed by a peculiar individual. This dirty scarred man wore a worn cloth over his eyes and attached to the side of his head are a perilous looking bundle of cords connected to a hovering servo-skull. He doesn't hold his hands out in alms, but instead outward to invite her forward. "Alloh, mum, wouldn'yah in be interested in 'ere'n the Emperor's way?" The man chortled as he gestured toward a set of cards. The woman recognized them as the Emperor's Tarot, a crude divining of the Emperor's will that was both immensely popular and not entirely sanctioned by the Ecclesiarchy. "Citizen, what is your name?" Her eyes drifted toward the servo-skull, "And how did you come by such an immaculate piece of technology?" Her questions were of an authoritative nature, but her expression was soft. "Alvis, mum, and this is my boy Tobias." The man said with a smile, and as he did so the cadence in his voice changed as if a veil had been lifted. "You must wonder how an old beggar might come by a piece such as this? A fair question." He leaned forward toward the woman and lifted his hand to conceal his words to her ear, "I was an Administrator of the Historium Imperialis in hive Helsreach, good pay you know? Well, in the great war I took my family to shelter in the Historium's sanctorum. Eventually the Green Bastards breached their way in, I thought all was lost when suddenly a battle broke out! Emperor save, Astartes clad in black armor had come to save us! However, in the resulting melee an explosion went off near my family. The flash blinded me, and mortally wounded my son. In his dying breath he lamented not being able to serve the Emperor as I had. I was so distraught that I did the only thing I could think of, I gathered all my wealth and took him to the holy Mechanicum here in Infernus to grant him his dying wish... So now together we spread the word and light of the Emperor." The man smiled to the woman wearily, it was clear reliving those sad few moment weighed heavily on him. She gazed somberly at the Servo-Skull as it's mechanized eyes focused on her face. "He says you look like one of the Emperor's angels mum.." Alvis says breaking the short silence. Smiling she brushes the cheek of the skull in a reassuring manner. "I am merely his daughter Tobias, as you are his son, we are all his children. But I know truly his smile is upon you." "Sister Octavia." A stern female voice interrupts. Recognizing the voice Octavia turns her head to acknowledge it. Standing before her are two women clad in gleaming silver power armor, Battle Sisters of the Argent Shroud. "The Canoness is recalling the Superiors for council, we're here to escort you." The Battle Sister continues, then turns to confirm contact over vox. Sister Octavia glanced back to the old man one last time, "Go in the Emperor's light." She said before turning to follow the Battle Sisters. The teeming masses part, like flowing water around stones, as the entourage made their way back to the transport. The trip took several hours, as the ruined infrastructure of the hive left little option for tracks back to the Astroport. Upon arrival to the port, Octavia was greeted by the sight of several of her fellow Sisters. Many had been deployed to the nearby Hive spires to provide spiritual and medical support to the suffering. Many more had been called in to assist the greatly diminished Arbiter force to reassert order. Within moments they were boarded on the transports and heading toward their base of operation, the Grand Cruiser 'The Pyres of Jubilation'. The ancient voidship had been gifted to the Argent Shroud by the Mechanicus and featured a massive Cathedral which housed it's main gun battery. All around the Cruiser swarmed throngs of support craft and pilgrimage ships, making the trip all the more perilous. Once they had boarded the Jubilation, the Superiors were met by the escort that would lead them to the meeting space. Corridors were filled with chanting and prayer, the air choked with incense, great halls expanded into the distance with filled pews of wailing faithful. This did little to distract the Sisters as they made their way to the command hall. They arrived to the space where none save them could enter, the escort left behind as guard. Entering the command hall, a large room surrounded by monitors and with a large steel table in the center, they found Canoness Carmina with two others by her side. First was Sister Superior Moira Tanneric, a Seraphim, and a legend amongst her peers. Her martial prowess was unmatched among her sisters, and when not on the front lines she could be found by the Canoness's side. The Other was a man, well dressed and highly decorated, he was clearly a member of the Adeptus Arbites. "Sisters, please sit." Canoness Carmina gestured with a hand, her expression one of grim resolve. "This is Arbitrator Lord Griffith, it is an honor to receive him, but he comes bearing ill tidings." Griffith stepped forward and laid a data-slate he had in hand on the table. "Ladies, this is the situation." He flicks his fingers across the data-slate and the monitors machine spirits crackle to life within the room. The screens filled profile photos of dozens maybe even hundreds of missing persons reports. "Two years before Ghazghkull's return we were investigating a sudden influx of missing persons, predominantly from the manufactorum, refinery, and mines beneath the hive. At first we'd considered ganger activity, it's not uncommon for groups to impress heavy industry workers into their ranks, but investigation revealed that the underhive gangers too were suffering from missing members." Griffith thumbs through to a particular profile then continues, "Six months into the investigation one of our own decided to go deep under cover, undergoing extensive cosmetic surgery, in order to blend in and ultimately get abducted." The profile pic shifts from the nondescript miner into the Arbite investigator's dossier. "Within six months he'd uncovered the answer to our mystery... A perverse and massive cult, dedicated to the Emperor, had sprung up in the bowels of the hive. He reported that several of the people we'd interviewed had been involved and had concealed its existence. We'd determined that a purge was the next logical step but our Investigator interjected." Griffith rubs the bridge of his brow in frustration. "He assured us a purge would be insufficient; they were well organized, mobile, and we hadn't located their leadership. So we relented and focused on getting him deeper, once we located the head of command we would make our move." Griffith then removed the smattering of photos and brought up a single image of a handwritten letter. "Six month before the initial invasions our Investigator made contact with us again finally, this letter... In it he details his infiltration of the cult. It's the last communication we had with him before the war began. In fact, after receiving this, related cult activity goes dark. In the letter the Investigator mentions a great tide washing over the Galaxy." Griffith closes the file and the vid screens go dark. "I'm telling you this because 48 solar hours ago reclamation crews returning to the mines uncovered this..." Pulling from a pack on his hip Griffith reveals a poster size swatch of tattered cloth. As he unfurls it, scrawled on its surface is a crudely drawn figure of the Emperor but bearing four arms and a hideously misshapen head. Just as Griffith had unfurled the image, Moira's adamantite combat knife came slamming down into it. "Heresy!" Her voice boomed with rage, and it sent her fellow Sisters into a similar moment of fury. Carmina silently stood by, watching them, until her gaze fell onto Octavia. For her part Octavia sat staring at the blasphemous image with studied examination, interested Carmina lifted a fist to command silence. Even incited with righteous fury, the disciplined Sisters silenced themselves for the Canoness to speak. "Sister Octavia, what seems to be on your mind?" Carmina questioned, her measured tone tempered with some suspicion. "I believe I have seen this Icon before mother, or at least something like it." Judgemental glaces crept across the table toward Octavia as she answered, but not from the Canoness. "Allow me some time to gather research, and I will provide more answers." Carmina noded to Octavio's request, "Make haste." She replied, and Octavia raised from her seat and made her way out. "Please continue sir." Carmina gestured with a hand toward Arbitrator Griffith, He nodded and turned his attention back to the table. "The reclamation crew was attacked after finding the icon, the few survivors that made it back gave descriptions of hideously deformed men and women that appeared from the shadows and struck with murderous fury." The Arbite adjusts uneasy as he continues, "Afterward we mustered a strike force to conduct a purge, 25 men and our last intact Repressor, and began scouring the area where the assault happened. No bodies remained, only bloody streaks and flash marks of las fire." Griffith's expression grows grim as he picks up the data-slate and engages an audio recording file. What followed is the audio of the Arbite strike force, the low hum of the Repressor the only ambient sound. A voice calls out from a distance, "Sir, come have a look, they're stock piling materials." Vox chatter followed and another voice is heard, "Roll out." The sound of the heavy vehicle dominates for several seconds, only barely can one detect the boot falls of the Arbites. The vehicle halts and the strike force can be heard patrolling forward to investigate. "By the Emperor... They've gathered enough materials, the bastards!, we sorely needed those for the war effort!" A gruff voice sounds out, then there is a shout from another direction. Surprise and reactionary fire follow, then the audio erupts into full blown chaos. Shouting, gunfire, and inhuman wailing can be heard and this goes on for several tense minutes. Through the calamity broken vox-chatter can be heard: "A..bush kzz kzzz ..ght, like demons! Kzzz. Kzz... end reinforcements!" Then clear as day, "Emperor rest our souls." An explosion cuts off the rest of the recording, then static. Griffith ends the recording and turns to face Carmina. "Canoness Carmina of the Order of the Argent Shroud, I, Lord Arbitrator Griffith, do formally and before audience request the assistance of the Adepta Sororitas in the matters of purging this malign cult from our sacred Imperium... And further for the retribution for those fallen in the service of our exalted Emperor." He stands rigid, formal, with the dignity of a man of his station but Carmina could peer past the professional guise to the barely contained rage. Her gaze swept then to the room filled with her seated sisters, then to Moira, a silent vote that was unanimous. "Lord Arbitrator, ready your men, you have our support." Carmina nods to Griffith. He returns the nod and excuses himself to leave. Once gone the Sisters set to work, preparing for the purge. Carmina set Moira to the task, having herself further responsibilities. The Canoness was obligated to make contact with members of the Inquisition to give her full report of the incident with the Flesh Tearers Astartes chapter. As the Order itself was critically undermanned, the battle at Helsreach being a considerable loss in particular, Moira gathered the Sisters into four squads: Two battle squads, the heavy support Retributions, and her personal Seraphim squad. Transport would be requisitioned from the local PDF and they would meet with the remaining Arbite forces to coordinate the assault and purge... Meanwhile in the Librarium of the great cathedral, a vast chamber of ten meter high shelves walls filled with seemingly endless books, hunched acolytes and floating Servo-Skulls diligently chronicle and sort the boundless literature held within. This place of scrolls, books, and holo-vids was administered by keepers from the Ordo Dialogus. The Dialogus was in charge of all lore keeping, and was mostly populated by the most keen minded and faithful of the Sisters, as well as those too infirm or injured from battle. It was here that Octavia had gotten her start in the Sisterhood, a religious pilgrim and researcher in a previous life. Octavia's finger roved pages from ancient texts, as she scoured shelves and tomes all seemingly at random, a floating Servo-Skull flittered from some great height bearing a large tome bound and chained as if to keep some evil from escaping. "Well done child." Octavia grinned, taking the tome in hand. With haste she approaches the Chamber Matron, Sister Astinus the senior most member of the Dialogus, and placed the tome before her. Octavia bowed her head low and spoke a small prayer before she continued, "Matron Astinus, I have need of this tome! It is of great importance to the security of the Order. Please, give me leave to take it and provide me the key to unbind it." Sister Astinus's gaze was stern and penetrating, judging the soul of Octavia. With a grimace she nodded slowly, "Take the book, but not from my blessing... It is a terrible thing, one that you will serve penance for, for it hides blasphemy in its pages." With a sneer and scolding look Astinus summoned a thrall to her and it gathered the key and litanies of unbinding. Handing it over to Octavia, Astinus had one last peace to say, "Emperor's Light shield your soul." Octavia bowed respectfully again and made her way out of the Librarium. Heading toward the command hall she noticed the vacating Sisters, lead by Moira, toward some dutiful purpose. The two met eyes only briefly, Moira's expression told Octavia all she needed to know - that she might be too late. Entering the hall Octavia found the Canoness silently staring down at Armageddon. "What have you brought me?" Carmina said without moving. "Canoness! I have reason to believe the blasphemous cult we are about to engage is of alien origin, and wholly more malign than simpler ruinous ones." Octavia said placing the tome on the table. "All cults which pervert the teachings of the Emperor are wholly alien child, what makes this one any different?" Carmina responded, turning toward Octavia. Her eyes fell upon the book then back to Octavia, the expectation clear. Octavia then recited the litanies of unbinding and unsealed the book with the key, the ancient mechanism groaned and creaked from a century of non-use. She turned the heavy pages of the book in search of her quarry, while she had never actually read the tome itself before she had read several treaties based on it. At last she came to the page, an archaic illustration dominated one whole side, it showed a great four clawed beast with a bulbous head commanding over lesser men who grovelled at it's feet. "I believe they belong to the cult of the Genestealer, Canoness." Octavia said, sliding the tome to Carmina. Stepping toward the book, a stern but hesitant expression on her face, Carmina slid the book in front of herself to look. "The Malitiea Cultum Incarnum." She whispers, then turns a glance to Octavia. "Such evil you bring Sister... What am I to learn from this?" Carmina's words were tense. Octavia stepped beside Carmina and points into the book, "Read not the words Canoness, that is my burden, but here the Heretic's addled mind goes into great detail on their appreciation for the effectiveness of the Genestealer's cult structure. There are notes on which tactics may be co-opted." Sensing Carmina's unease, Octavia quickly closed the book and locked it. Carmina stared hard at Octavia, she knew full well the nightmares of the Genestealer and of the Tyranid host, having herself faced this terrible foe. Indeed it was this experience which gave Carmina pause to consider what Sister Octavia was proposing. Carmina walked to the door in silence, instilling some sense of dread into Octavia. Leaning out, the Canoness bade the door attendants to recall Sister Moira for council. Octavia stood firm, resolute in her decision to bring this to the Canoness, as Carmina returned and stood across from her at the table. "We shall wait for Moira..." Carmina said with a sneer looking at the book, then to Octavia. The two waited patiently nearly an hour for Sister Moira to return. Stepping in she was now properly equipped in full battle regalia, her fiery hair and gleaming silver armor invoked the true image of avenging angel. "You summoned me your grace?" Moira said as she knelt before Carmina. "Rise.." the Canoness replied with a wave, "Sister Octavia has returned, she suggested unsettling news... She believes there is sufficient evidence that the cult is of Xenos origin, Genestealer." As Moira listened her eyes drifted toward Octavia with a petulant glare. She grimaced in disgust at the notion of the Xenos and looked back at the Canoness. "If the Sister spent less time with her mind between the covers of a book and put her heart into the work of the Emperor, we'd already be planet side purging this cult." Moira responded with a sneer. "Then again, what are we to expect from a Promethium convert papersmith?" Her tone is biting, but before Octavia had time to even lift a finger in retort, Carmina slammed the table. Both the Sisters went rigid before the Canoness, who stepped up to the power armored Moira. Even though towered by the Sister, the Canoness's presence shrank the woman before her. "Moira... What is your tactical assessment if Octavia's hypothesis tests true?" Carmina speaks calmly and controlled, chillingly so. "A cult against the Emperor cannot be suffered within his domain, Xenos or not... Canoness." Moira responded, not making eye contact with Carmina. The Canoness turned then to Octavia. "Octavia, what options do you suggest as an alternative?" Octavia swallowed hard, collecting herself, and looked to Carmina. "Canoness, we should contact the Ordo Xenos. They will have the proper tools for rooting out this enemy." "The proper tools!?" Moira blurted out in dismay, "What tool beyond your faith is needed to cleanse this blasphemy?" She snarled. "Faith alone does not drive these humans! The perversion of the Xenos takes many forms and absolution by flame may be ineffectual at best and presumptuous at worst!" Octavia retorted and stepped aggressively toward Moira. "Daughters of the Emperor!" Carmina interjected. Looking to Octavia and pushing the book back. "You would have us step down from this task that I have promised the Arbites? Wait for the Holy Ordos to get involved?" Octavia's expression sank, but she mustered her resolve. "Canoness... I mean only to suggest that we inadequately know our enemy, We should seek a strategy of containment while appropriate forces come to cleanse the infestation. One does not suture wounds with a sword." Moira's brow raised as she saw Carmina's demeanor shift. "May I ask a question to Sister Octavia your grace?" Carmina noded quietly, contemplating carefully the situation. "Sister, what force would be required if the Sisterhood is insufficient?..... Who serves the Ordo Xenos?" Moira asked, leaning forward and resting her knuckles on the table lip. Octavia looked toward Moira uncertain, "The Deathwatch of course Sister, but surely...." She halted and became rigid. Confidently Moira cut in, "More Astartes? We know your love for them Lizard daughter, I wonder if by the time they have arrived our report will have made it to the Inquisition? Will word have spread to their kin of our formal request for the righteous destruction of one of their chapters? Perhaps Flesh Tearers will be among the Deathwatch that arrive." Her words were sharp, and cut Octavia, but weren't meant for her. "Enough..." Carmina said, her tone low and purposeful. "There will be no more Astartes with which trust cannot be assured. It will be we few Sisters with the Light of him, which shall purge this menace. Moira, prepare the sisters to depart." Moira nodded then turned to leave, turning a contemptuous glance at Octavia. "Before you go..." Carmina continued, causing Moira to halt. "...Octavia will accompany you, as Consult, she will be acting on my behalf. You will command the strike force, but will take her council into account." Moira turned to face Carmina in shock. Had it been any other person she would have crush them where they stood, instead she stood jaw agape silently. A moment later her composure returned to her and she bowed her head, "Of course your Grace." She replied flatly. "You are dismissed.." Carmina responded, turning her attention to Octavia who also bore a shocked expression. Moira turned and left the room, the heavy footfalls heard disappearing into the distance. "Octavia, I want to teach you a very important lesson." Carmina walked around the table to her. She Lifted her finger and pointed to Octavia's Heart. "Faith is born here, in the furnace of your soul. But, it is refined up here, like the warrior's blade." She continued, lifting the finger to Octavia's brow. "Right now Moira is the Heart, be the Mind. I have tasked her with the care of the battle sisters, I task you with her care... Do not disappoint me." Carmina's stare would have buckled a lesser individual, but tests like this were common to the Sororitas. Octavia bowed her head, "Of course your Grace." Carmina motioned for Octavia to depart, which she did with jubilation. Octavia felt the exhilaration of purpose and the chance to prove herself that she had been yearning for. She would not squander this opportunity nor fail the Canoness. End of chapter 1, more to come

https://youtu.be/3GCp3ksKvYs?si=tSlJ2tpDVHCY3XN8 Cheers, :cuss:h

Before I go any further, INP, thade if this topic is inappropriate please let me know, or lock it as applicable. Okay, as some may know, I write a few stories in the Librarium's Short stories section and would like some feedback from the members of this sub forum if possible on an SoB story. I'm currently writing a story that covers the origins of my DIY Order, The order of the Dauntless Spirit, and would like to know if it conveys in any accuracy, a Convent and it's Sisters accurately. The story itself is mainly about one Sister Saffron Sera who eventually becomes the Founder and first Canoness of this order. The Convent in question is a small branch of the main order, the Order of the Valorous Heart. Whilst I have read as much as I can about the various Orders of Sisters and know that there are a few Black Library stories with Sisters in (I've only read Daemonifuge), I'd like to know whether what I'm writing is any good. I have had feedback from other members of the board (although I haven't had any for a while ), but who else better than to ask those who are true aficionado's? I'd appreciate any opinions that you might have. I don't have a problem with critical comments, after all, how else is one to improve otherwise? For those who are interested the link for the story is here: A Valorous Heart, a Dauntless Spirit Thank you in advance

https://www.blacklibrary.com/new-titles/featured/mercy-eshort.html Nice to see a new story about Sisters, and from what it looks like, a new author too! ^_^

So i've recently taken the plunge and decided to get involved with the Sisters. All my other armies are Imperial factions, and given the lockdown situation here in the UK, I thought it was the perfect time to start a new army. I'm also going to try and convince my other half to have a game, and what better way then her having a far future version of herself on the tabletop. I recently got the Codex and a Canoness, as my first/test model. Again, I let my girlfriend pick the paint scheme and we ended up with this... So i've just placed my second order, got a box of sisters and repentia on the way. I've drawn up a few lists at points values, so I'm working towards my first 500 points now. After next pay day I plan to pick up another box of sisters and Celestine so i have a enough models for a battalion and expand from there. I've gone for a homebrew Order so I can run them as any Order in game. I'm also cooking up some fluff for them, just background, so I'll post that at a later date. Any advice for a new start is more than welcome of course. Thanks

"Cowards! I should have nailed your worthless hide to the Bastion you vowed to defend! I will hunt you to the ends of the galaxy! I swear this to Him on Earth!" - the parting exchange between Canoness Superior Sylia Stengovich of the eventual Order of Machaeram and the former Imperial Guard commander, Colonel Buryon J. Mason, latterly known as Buryon the Trecherous. Order name and History[/skullheaderhalf] The Order originates from a small contingent of Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, based on a world called Machaeram. Dedicated to defending worlds nearby, the Order working in tandem with an Imperial Guard regiment called Gehnum's 87th "The Boomers" a heavy infantry regiment. The Guardsmen were wary of the Order initially, mainly due to their fervour in battle and the measures taken to expose and deal with Heresy. After a decade of fighting, mostly concentrated within the Linna system, both were taken out of rotation to resupply and rest. On the way back to their respective worlds, the Canoness Superior discovered that their allies were Heretics themselves. Turning around to make chase, the Orders' flagship was attacked by a force of Chaos Space Marines. Left crippled and adrift, the Order was unable to pick up the trail of their new quarry. The Order spent many years searching, each world they scoured showed signs that the regiment were looking for a particular artefact, one that would result in the apotheosis of the Colonel by releasing a torrent of Daemons into the material galaxy. They had had no luck, the regiment suffering high casualties. Interrogating a wounded guardsman left behind, they were given the last world the Colonel would search, the Order's own home-world. Horrified that such a thing could exist under their very noses, the Sororitas made haste back to Machaeram, only to find it ablaze, the native populace either dead or turned, willing slaves to the Colonel, who had now taken the moniker of Buryon the Treacherous. On a mountain top, the two fought, their struggle to overcome the other frantic. A landslide made the Colonel fall to the depths below, but the Canoness did not believe he had perished as there were signs of his handiwork on worlds on the outer edges of the Quincy Sector. The Sisters led by Canoness Sylia Stengovitch strove to emulate the feats of the larger Order, ever eager to root out Heresy, ever eager to be acknowledged as equals. The failure to see the corruption of their former allies resulted in being stripped of their heraldry and colours, their deeds struck from record. Forced to wear grey armour and tabards, they were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the distant Shrine World of Romanov II to atone for their foolish pride and to redeem themselves. Their journey took longer than it should have, as they diverted their path following any lead that would bring them closer to the Traitors that brought them low. After twenty years, the Order finally arrived at Romanov II, weary and overstretched. Upon visiting the shrine at the Capitol, Canoness Stengovitch was brought before the Sectors head of the Ecclesiarchy in a private ceremony to determine whether they had truly atoned. The affair was never officially documented, but soon after, the small group was ordered to return, a new determination set in their minds. Armour still dark grey, they now sported green tabards and bore the sigil of a sword. Setting a course, the new Order of Machaeram vowed to destroy the Heretical regiment. The remainder of Machaeram's native population were mostly put to death, their numbers replaced by workers from other worlds nearby. The Sisters' renewed duty has given them an even harder edge, showing no mercy for any transgression against the Emperor. The Order has renewed their vow to end the Heretical Gehnum's 87th "The Boomers" regiments machinations once and for all. Home planet[/skullheaderhalf] Machaeram is primarily an Agri-world, mainly yielding various cereals for the Imperium at large. A small world within the Xeroid system, it's inhabitants are pious and unimaginative, the hard toil in the fields is ambition enough. A yearly tithe of orphaned girls or those who were of age were taken as their due and trained in the Doctrines of the Order to supplement recruitment from the Schola Progenium. The larger inhabited planet, Gehnum was mainly used to muster troops for the Guard and had done so for millennia. The high turnover of recruits had left the planet with a significant dip in population levels, the natives becoming more and more bitter that their destiny was ultimately to die forgotten on a far off battlefield. The seeds of corruption was brought to bear by an unknown instigator, so subtle in their work that the Heresy was not found out until it was too late. Order Founder Sylia Stengovitch was a fierce woman, her pious heart was broken with the knowledge that she has fought along side traitors to the Imperium and Him on Earth. After her Orders' pilgrimage, her fervour became even greater - nothing would stay her hand from destroying that which had brought her Sisters shame and will bring all before her to the flame to accomplish her goal. [skullheaderhalf=206906]Notable Sisters Irene Chang - A Seraphim Superior who, with her biological Sister Reika, were instrumental in rooting out and destroying a Slaaneshi Cult on Eufestus XI Reika Chang - A Seraphim Sister Lisa Vanette - A Celestian Sister who sacrificed her life to save her Canoness. Was latterly known as Lisa the Unyielding. Naoko - A Sister belonging to Canoness Superior Stengovitch's command squad. Sylvie - A Repressor tank driver who smashed the walls of the city known as Lucitant on the planet Gorumn, allowing the Order to gain victory. Anri - A Sister who fought with Iron Lord Hubros's Second Company of the Steel Wings Chapter and was instrumental in helping him prevent the Bahltimyr Reavers from corrupting the planet Mu'kin. [skullheaderhalf=206906]Significant battles joined - The battle of Eufestus XI Fighting alongside the Amber Dragons Chapter, the Order destroyed 10,000 Cultists who were ill prepared for the furious assault launched against them. The Cult leader, Amanos the sickened was torn to pieces by Irene Chang with her chainsword Aypeeteya, named after one of the mountain ranges to the north of the Order's Chapel-fortress. - The sacking Mu'Kin The Bahltimyr Reavers were denied their prize of an artifact of Xenos origin that would have defeated the combined force of the Steel Wings' Second Company and a small detachment of Sisters. Swearing vengeance, Rai Lurweiss would escape and attack the Order in transit to the Ermentia Cascade 15 years later.

Alright folks, time for me to throw my hat in the ring in full. Here is the Sisterhood I've been holding onto now for about . . . four years, apparently. Wow, I've been at this for a while. As always with my DIYs, I have a tendency to do some very bare-bones creations, names, colors, and a very short snippet, create a whole host of them (at some point last year I counted just over a couple hundred, with about 2/3s B&C appropriate), and then with aching slowness go about developing them to the point of being worthy of being posted. Often, a huge amount of their character and history are completely unknown to me until I take the time and just try to increase the word count. I always like to think about how the ideas first originated, as it goes to show just how far I've come in this whole business. The Order of the Perpetual Sorrows originated as a Sisterhood based off of an old Facebook group I was a part of, the Green Randoms. I would jokingly create an in-universe clan around it (this was a D&D group), called the Verdant Variables. For some reason that I no longer recall, I took that as the base for a Sisterhood, which was originally called the Viridian Valkyries, had a convent on Fenris itself, and yes, it was that bad, shut up. Their color scheme has been unchanged since then, but as you'll be able to see from here on out, they really don't have anything else left from that time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I'll continue working on it, but C&C on what I have so far would be appreciated. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OHAehTs9PrQ/UmP3bTH-hvI/AAAAAAAAaP0/Fgf4zLo3r3w/s400/city-saint.jpg “Defilement comes through the sons of Man Born Divine, through Cain refleshed. She will lift the silver veil from her face, and from her eyes shall flow the tears of the silenced into perpetuity, to wash the corrupt in a flood of condemnation.” Order Name The Order of the Perpetual Sorrows Home Planet Bathkol, a temperate shrineworld of Sector Aexynder, Subsector Raphestus Founder Viridiana Serif, Our Weeping Lady. Born 248.M38, Martyred 412.M38 Notable Sisters Yohanna Candidus, Palatine-Commander of the Serifi, Purifier of the Sunderers It is no surprise that the Order of the Perpetual Sorrows would endear themselves to their founder and her ways. As the first Canoness named herself of the Seraphim, and favored their use alongside armour contingents, so too did those who followed her. There is a strong leaning in the Sisterhood towards the Seraphim squads, leading towards an imbalanced organization. It became necessary to subdivide the Seraphim, to single out the exceptional and the experienced. These veteran Seraphim congregate in the Chapel of the Serifi, for which they view Viridiana Serif as its patron saint and from whom they are named. These women can often be seen at the forefront of every major battle of the Sisterhood, their skills and fervor lending them an unrivaled edge. Though the Serifi are considered a Commandery according to the Order's organizational structure, they exist far higher in their hierarchy. The Palatine-Commander often holds a position of honor in the Sisterhood, her voice as heeded and respected as any preceptory mistress. Only when the entire Order is mobilized for war do the Serifi stand united outside of their Chapel, as their Commandery are most often spread across the Order and its various conflicts. History Communion with the God-Emperor, a most sacred practice, has guided the devoted for millennia. Though often difficult to interpret, the lives of millions are turned to the task of extrapolation. One such interpretation called for the founding of one of the Lesser Orders Militant. Viridiana Serif, a Canoness Preceptor of the Order of the Argent Shroud, was granted the honor of separating her convent from the Order. Taking with her the relic tome Luctus Aeternia, and naming the Order after the prophetic glimpse that saw to its creation, Lady Serif, now Canoness Superior of the Order of the Perpetual Sorrows, retained the convent upon the shrineworld Bathkol where the Preceptory was based, expanding it to accommodate the increased potential of a full Order. Within a century, the Sisterhood had gained incredible renown in the local Sector as a fast-acting militant order, striking with overwhelming force at the earliest signs of heresy. The zeal with which they met the secretive cults of Sector Aexynder caught the attention of Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus, and quickly they would take advantage of the fiery Sisters in their own investigations. In time, they were seen by the Inquisition as a powerful tool in this Sector and its surrounding regions, with many Inquisitors even petitioning the Sisterhood for permanent detachments to follow them across the Imperium's greater expanse. With their harsh intolerance for even minor deviations of the Imperial Creed, the Sisters of the Order of the Perpetual Sorrows can be seen participating in wars of faith in every corner of the Imperium. Beliefs The Sisters of Perpetual Sorrow record with careful precision the heretical crimes committed against Him on Earth within the tactical log Luctus Aeternia. To the Sisters, these crimes should never be forgotten, lest they be repeated, and are often invoked during sermons. It is, however, of note that what this Sisterhood condemns as heretical is, perhaps, more conservative than the greater Ecclesiarchy's general approach to the differing faiths in the God-Emperor. To the Sisters of Bathkol, the God-Emperor is the All, born whole from the holiness of Terra's children. To these Sisters, worship of the God-Emperor in any other aspect is condemnable. They see totemic representations of the God-Emperor as debasement before false idols. While they are willing to curb their indignation and bile for otherwise loyal Imperial domains, these beliefs made them willing participants in retributive campaigns based upon ideological conflicts, particularly when involving the contrary beliefs of a Space Marine Chapter. These beliefs have spread beyond the Sisterhood, in no small part because of their charismatic prominence on Bathkol and beyond. On a few worlds, their particular outlook on Space Marines have taken rather well. On Hathmose it is most understandable, the planet's denizens having long memories into their past, when renegade Space Marines would raid their stores with clockwork precision and brutality before being run off by a detachment of Loyalist Space Marines of the Flesh Tearers Chapter. For the embittered Hathmosians, they could not distinguish between savior and ravager. The Sisterhood, however, has not taken kindly to a particular sentiment among those they have so influenced. With the focus the Order has on the Seraphim squads, especially the often more ornate Serifi, there are those among the masses who look up to these women that see them as the God-Emperor's true angels. Indeed, the Order has become increasingly frustrated with what they see as false idolatry, loudly and at times even violently denouncing it. Significant Battle Dragon's Fall – M39: Like many Space Marine Chapters based out of feral death worlds, the Sunderers had a unique, contradictory view of the Emperor. While ostensibly holding to the improper belief system of the Adeptus Astartes, that of the God-Emperor as “just a man,” the further uncivilized beliefs of their own recruitment stock pervaded and corrupted the Chapter. This has occurred among those who would call Him on Earth their grandsire since time immemorial, when the God-Emperor, in an unfathomable act of wisdom and compassion, allowed for the continued existence of the Space Wolves Chapter. The Sunderers, inheritors of the White Scars Chapter, another barbaric lineage not unlike those of the Wolves or the Salamanders, had for several thousand years looked to the feathered, saurian mega-fauna of their home world as symbolically representative of the God-Emperor's power and ferocity. Even before their corruption by the powers beyond, the Sisters of Perpetual Sorrow would have proclaimed them damned in moments. With the Imperium fully seeking to unleash judgment upon the Sunderers, the Order gladly lent the taskforce its entire strength. This proved fortuitous to the forces of the God-Emperor, as it was one of the Order's Commanderies that successfully disrupted a ritual centered upon the Chapter's former High Reclusiarch, a ritual that surely would have turned the tide of battle and necessitated the call for other, more terrible allies. http://i.imgur.com/q9lV8YL.jpg

I'm doing a 8th edition Adeptus Ministorum condex, not necessarily because we're in dire need of one, but because I want to I've got some thoughts on how to do AoFs, but no time to type them out right now. For now, here's the unit entries for the 3 Troops choices in the codex. For the most part I'll be working off of my 7E Codex: Adeptus Ministorum and reworking it for 8th (there will be significant paring down of rules to keep in line with the other armies in 8E). I probably won't be changing many weapon stat lines or abilities from the Index list (I'll need a good reason to if I do), but there are a few notes: AoF: like I said, I'm still thinking on it SoF: 6++ and some kind of replacement for Adamantium Will (not the worthless little thing they gave us in the Index, but I haven't thought about it much) Righteous Will: Bonus to Morale checks when the unit contains 10 or more models Heirs of the Sororitas: Wounds may not be allocated to models with this ability as long as the unit contains any models without this ability. Ecclesiarchy Relics: I will carry over all of the relics I resurrected for my 7E codex Thread for Codex: Adeptus Ministorum (7th Edition) Oh, and you can thank Sister Alessia for prompting me to get started on this so quickly :P

I've been collecting Templars since getting back into the hobby at the start of last year, but what started out as a small project of one squad of ten Argent Shroud has instead turned into at least a 1000pts force of a different order, that warrants its own thread. The current plan is: Inquisitor (kitbashed) 2 Canonesses Imagifer 9 Repentia 5 Zephyrim 20 Sisters 5 Retributors Exorcist Rhino Here's what I've got done so far. Closeups of individual models, WIP shots etc can be found on my Instagram (linked in sig).

Someone suggested elsewhere the idea of a Holy Crusade army - with a small core of SoB leading a regiment of Imperial Guard. This idea really appealed to me but I'm looking for some advice with regard to implementing it: Firstly, which SoB units to use as the leaders of the crusade. I was thinking St. Celestine and maybe some Priests, but are there any other units I should consider? Second, any suggestions regarding the IG part of the army? I'd like to use primarily infantry but I'm wondering how best to kit them out to represent their being led by SoB. Should I use Meltas and Flamers? Also, should the sergeants have melee weapons or such? Any specific IG units you think would work for this theme? Finally, any other advice or suggestions for this theme? (I might post this on the IG section as well.)

Hopefully the title doesn't constitute clickbait. I was browsing dakkadakka.com after running out of threads to read here, and I found a particular thread relevant to my slightly alseep Adepta Sororitas leanings and I was interested in your thoughts. Summary picture for those who'd rather avoid dakkadakka.com: Order (Majoris) of the day: nomnomnom or Warzone Ophelia in the future?