Outlander90 Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 We know the Sisters of Silence were the militant arm of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica during the Great Crusade (and possibly throughout the Horus Heresy). We know they were an all-female order of psychic blanks. We know manned the Black Ships and collar dangerous psykers throughout Imperial worlds. We know their order's Fortress Monastery was based on Luna. But do we know what happened to them? The opinion I found on Lexicanum as to what happened to the Sisters of Silence in the 41st Millennium is that either; 1. They still exist and man the Black Ships plying Imperial worlds for psykers. 2. They were so decimated from the battles of the Horus Heresy that the remaining Sisters were merged with the newly founded Inquisition. I have also discovered a third path, a reference by Dark Reign (http://darkreign.org/sites/default/files/Sisters%20of%20Silence.pdf) which states that the Sisters of Silence are currently (the 41st Millennium?) billeted in a garrison right below the Emperor's throne room. They have been assigned a permanent garrison (which may or may not include their entire strength) to bolster the Adeptus Custodes (who we know do not wear their old power armour and instead don on their black cloaks and never leave the Sanctum Imperialis unguarded). It also goes on to state that the Emperor's entombment upon the Golden Throne the daemonic incursion from the webway breach was slowed but not stopped. The Sisters and Custodes continue to fight occasional daemonic incursions. They also add their strength when it is needed against major warp incursions on Imperial Worlds. This means they could have been present during all the Black Crusades and the First War of Armageddon. I would like to throw the question of the fate of Sisters of Silence post-heresy. Why haven't they been seen by forces of the Imperium ever since the dark days of the Siege of Terra? Whether they are considered as secretive as the Grey Knights and that bearing witness to their actions would directly lead to mind-wipes and/or labour camps? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfroCampbell Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 I think the first brick wall you are going to run into here is that absolutely EVERYTHING in this thread subsequently will be speculation. My theory: they are the 'spiritual ancestors' of the Sisters of Battle. In style, being an all female order, etc etc. the actual order themselves, I think we will likely see some reference to this in later Garro novels/audios maybe, but i personally think it makes sense for them to be absorbed into the Inquisition due to their function. However I know many will disagree. Chur. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3838838 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inquisitor Kravin Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 As AfroCampbell said, everything is speculation, so here's mine: I think it is a mistake to associate the Sisters of Silence with the Sisters of Battle. They share the all female membership but totally different origins. The Sisters of Battle were formed thousands of years post heresy during the Age of Apostasy and came from a religious sect on another planet, not Terra. Having a learned hatred psykers (SoB) is totally different from being inherently anathema to them (SoS). I suspect that the SoS still exist but that like the Custodes they are now almost completely confined to protecting the palace and in particular guarding against daemonic incursions from beneath the Golden Throne. It would make sense for any action they undertook outside the Palace to be linked with the Inquisition, specifically Puritan Monodominants. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3839007 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlander90 Posted October 21, 2014 Author Share Posted October 21, 2014 We can be sure that everything being discussed vis-a-viz Sisters of Silence will be pure speculation. Would be fun if they releases a Garro audiodrama and our speculations turn out to be true. Also if all speculations can follow the three main questions that will best support the overall speculation of 'What happened to the Sisters of Silence?' Q.1. What was the role they played during the Horus Heresy? (canon and speculations open)Q.2. What was the effect of the aftermath of the Horus Heresy on the Sisters of Silence order? (decimated but rebuilt like in Dark Reign or disbanded or hidden, feel free to speculate) Q.3. What is the role they would play in the new fabric of the Imperium of Man? (are they associated with the Inquisition? Free from control like Astartes/Custodes?)I have just stated the opinions and speculations of others in my first post. Personally I feel that during the Siege of Terra Horus knows he cannot let the Sisters of Silence live and initiates a hunt for the witch-seekers that thins their numbers on Terra. However the remaining cadres of Sisters on Astra Telepathica outposts and black ships return Post-Siege to rebuild the order. Their fortress monastery on Luna is destroyed but the Astronomican becomes their adopted headquarters. The Astra Telepathica use the Black Ship sisters to collar dangerous psykers and keep the captured psykers in check. Many cadres of Sisters of Silence seeks out the more dangerous witch-breeds amongst the Traitor legions. Inquisitive Sisters are slowly and steadily drawn to the Inquisition which makes use of their remarkable talents especially during the Scouring. Overall, the Sisters of Silence still man the Black Ships and Telepathica outposts and still ferry psykers for the Golden Throne. Wherever they find suitable female pariahs they recruits them into their order after exhaustive trials. Some of their number are approached by the Inquisition from time to time but woe betide any who dares command one of the Sisters of Silence for their oaths are eternal and their task vital to the very survival of the Imperium. A billion souls may perish by a daemonic incursions unchecked but a million worlds will fall if the psyker tithe is not maintained. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3839822 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareddm Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 From Laurie Goulding over on First Expedition. We do not presently know what happened to them. Certainly, it seems that they no longer existed by the time the Ecclesiarchy rose to power (late M32-ish). They definitely do not exist by M41 - sorry! http://z13.invisionfree.com/The_First_Expedition/index.php?showtopic=977 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3840204 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slips Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Thats actually a bit disappointing for me but, does explain why Eisenhorn got away with making his own school of psychic blanks without the Astra Telepathica being all "yo dawg, thats our turf your treadn' upon!" Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3840227 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotsmasha Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I am going to have to scour the depths of my mind as I am *certain* I've read a 40k BL novel with SoS on a Black Ship. It would be 10 or so years ago..... Cheers, Jono Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3840467 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darog Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 They work on black ships, they still exist. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3840698 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlander90 Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 I believe what Darog said. Without the Sisters of Silence to collar/control psykers the black ships would just be a disaster waiting to happen. If they have an accident aboard, one of the psykers got loose, they'd have a full blown chaos incursion. And black ships are supposed to be some of the toughest ships ever built (from Nemesis) but even they have their limits. Normal humans just don't stand a chance against a prison break of rogue psykers. I can accept the fact that the Grey Knight are anathema to daemonic kind and thus will be exceptionally good wardens of the black ships but they are made to wage war not patrol the decks of black ships. And there aren't too many Space Marine Chapters who would like such an inglorious duty. Bottom line is there wouldn't be Imperium without the black ships and for the black ships to be effective they need the Sisters of Silence. I have a theory as to the real creation of the Sisters of Silence. The are the Militant order of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. By my reckoning they were the only order to actively combat chaos incursions and keep knowledge of the truth of the Chaos gods a secret from the Imperium of the Great Crusade. So my theory is that the Sister of Silence are in fact the Inquisition of the 31st Millennium. Just saying, they wear armor, hunt witches and don't say a word, does that ring any bells? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3840742 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareddm Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I would love for the Sisters of Silence to still exist and I understand the theory of why they must still exist. However, in all my searching, I've yet to find one reference to their existence post-heresy. On the other hand, information regarding the crew of Black Ships makes mention of Inquisitorial stormtroopers, sanctioned psykers that pool their energy to produce occluding spheres, and more mundane methods of confusion and sedation. From the sounds of it, the Black Ships of M41 would kill to have the Silent Sisterhood working with them. If anything, I think the fact that they manage to run the Black Ships without them is both a miracle, and an example of the grimdarkness of the 41st millennium. I would also like to mention that the kind of heavy-handed 'deny the witch' style training really wasn't around during the heresy. It's very likely that such training is now extremely commonplace amongst anyone operating within the Black Ships. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/298210-what-happened-to-the-sisters-of-silence/#findComment-3840881 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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