Collaborative Adepta Sororitas Creation Project

[Bjorn Firewalker]

2 )

I made 2 color schemes for them, basically modifying the Valorous Heart scheme. Unlike the Balorous Heart, the robe linings would be black as well (as opposed to white) Personally I like the second scheme better.

Personally, I favor the first image. If you insist on using black pauldrons, you might as well make the aquila and the fleurs-de-lis the same color, so the armor looks more symmetrical and Sister does NOT look mutated.

5 ) Their main “gimmick” is a penchant for self mortification and penance. The reasons for this are a bit more complicated than that: essentially they believe that the Soroitas as an organization bears guilt from the Reign of Blood that it can never fully repent for, therefore they feel they must mortify themselves to this extreme degree to even deserve to serve the Imperium.

Be careful not to go too far with the self-mortification and bloodletting, lest others- in-universe (e.g., the Inquisition) as well as out (i.e., us readers)- view them as Nurgle and/or Khorne worshipers.

5A ) Their Convent, outside the chapels, is incredibly plain and unadorned, intentionally uncomfortable furniture, spiky quills (remember that quote in the 3E main rulebook?) etc.

Self-flagellation is a good idea, spiky quills and armor are NOT. A strong-willed individual may overcome the pain received when using a spiky quill, and keep using it; but the sensations received will still disrupt the very motions of her hand, distorting her handwriting and making it difficult to read; consequences include difficulty validating her orders due to her signature being unverifiable, and difficulty obeying written orders due to the fact the words are illegible.

5B ) Their armour is modified to physically wound them (lightly) as it is worn. This works nicely into their beliefs, but would unfortunately mean they have to deal with blood loss just from overly long marches.

Spiky armor that hurts the wearer will make its user vulnerable to infection (you're poking holes in the very skin that keeps viruses and bacteria out of the body), weakening her BEFORE and DURING the battle; the pain will likely interfere with her ability to concentrate, e.g., on a target, as necessary to accurately aim and fire a boltgun.

The Emperor does NOT intend for the Sisters to lose battles against all but the weakest of His enemies. Intentionally weakening His own soldiers via the spiky armor you describe, is a grave heresy.

[Servant of Dante]

Edit: I like the asemetrical color scheme, not sure what asymmetry has to do with mutation.

 

I don’t see how self mortification is a Nurgle or Khorne thing, Khorne is shedding other’s blood in battle for the sake of shedding blood, Nurgle is just nihilistic giggling and infecting yourself with rot :P

 

The spiky quill is from the 3E main rulebook, and it’s a bit of fluff I like. It’s GW’s idea, not mine

 

Self mortification does weaken the person doing it, but it strengthens the soul and cleanses it of doubt and misdeed (at least that’s what these Sisters think). I actually want to play up the fact that they aren’t the most effective Sisters in long engagements because they start to suffer from blood loss. Asfor infection, maybe they cost the inside of their armour with an antiseptic. They’re doing this because they see the Sisterhood as perpetually guilty for the Reign of Blood and believe this is what they must do to continually attone for its Heresy. Basically, no, I don’t see it as Heresy even if it does weaken them. Losing because you did what is right and proper is not Heresy, but winning because you neglected your other duties to the Emperor most certainly is. These Sisters believe it is their duty to act in this way.

 

Edit: and there’s a difference between self mortification and cutting up another person. The Sisters of this order would, I think, not harm eachother (except as official sanctioned punishment like any other military organization with rather draconian discipline)

 

The spiky armour was one of the core themes I wanted to explore with this project, so I’m not likely to drop it since it fits well enough in how I perceive the Sisters and the Imperium (my headcanon, if you will).

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Edit: I like the asemetrical color scheme, not sure what asymmetry has to do with mutation.

Humans tend to equate symmetry with normality; mutation, mutilation, and disfigurement (caused by disease as well as injury) makes us view things so affected as abnormal. These views are hardwired into our very DNA, as they're linked to survival.

 

I don’t see how self mortification is a Nurgle or Khorne thing, Khorne is shedding other’s blood in battle for the sake of shedding blood, Nurgle is just nihilistic giggling and infecting yourself with rot

"Khorne cares not from whence the blood flows, only that it flows." The Blood God is strengthened when his own followers are wounded and killed, as well as when these followers wound and kill others.

 

As for Nurgle, your Sisters are making themselves vulnerable to infectious diseases. How does that not strengthen the Plague Lord?

The spiky quill is from the 3E main rulebook, and it’s a bit of fluff I like. It’s GW’s idea, not mine

Not all Games Workshop ideas are good- see the "End Times" of Warhammer Fantasy Battle

Losing because you did what is right and proper is not Heresy, but winning because you neglected your other duties to the Emperor most certainly is.

This sounds like poor self-justification. When an Inquisitor asks your Order to aid him/her in crushing a Chaos cult, but the Sisters fail because their self-inflicted injuries made them too weak to defeat the cultists, do you think the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy will accept the explanation, "It was right and proper that we lose, because our duty to punish ourselves for our sins is more important than the Inquisitor's orders"?

Edit: and there’s a difference between self mortification and cutting up another person. The Sisters of this order would, I think, not harm each other (except as official sanctioned punishment like any other military organization with rather draconian discipline)

Good to know.

The spiky armour was one of the core themes I wanted to explore with this project, so I’m not likely to drop it since it fits well enough in how I perceive the Sisters and the Imperium (my headcanon, if you will).

Why don't you have members of the Order of the Valorous Heart find an STC fragment for the pain glove, and affix a downgraded version to their armor when these members go on to found the Order of the Weeping Heart? The pain glove can make them feel as if countless spikes are piercing their skin, without bleeding them and making them vulnerable to infection.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Alternate idea for how the Sisters got their hands on the pain glove:

 

Orks attack an Imperial world and besiege a holy shrine, which the Order is defending. The Black Templars relieve the siege, but not before the shrine suffers damage at the xenos' hands.

 

The Templars invite the Canoness aboard their ship to discuss how to persecute this war and punish the Orks; the discussion is held in the Emperor's Champion's chamber, where the Canoness sees the Templar using the pain glove to punish himself for failing to spare the shrine from damage.

 

Impressed with the Templars' faith, and feeling a need to punish herself for her own failings, the Canoness ask for and receive the STC for a downgraded version of the pain glove (one that does not drive its user insane or to a permanent state of pain, meaning it can be worn indefinitely), given as a sign of shared faith and mutual respect.

 

Thoughts?

[Servant of Dante]

Painting something asymmetrically is not at all related to physical deformation as far as I'm concerned. I'm not worried about that color scheme making people think the Sisters are mutants. If someone painted their car one quarter red and three quarters green would you think they must be mutated in some way because their car isn't symmetrical?

 

So anyone that flagellates them self is a Khornate cultist? Again, I just disagree on this point. Self-mortification is not a Khornate trait since it has nothing to do with combat. I think it's just a different in interpretation. Again, any flagellation will make you more vulnerable to disease (you're making open wounds on yourself) but I wouldn't call every Ministorum Priest that flagellates themself a Khorne/Nurgle worshiper.

 

"good" is subjective. I've talked to people who say the End Times are fantastic. Personally, I think that bit of fluff about the spiked quill is good, it's representative of the Sisters mindset and plays into the over the top religion that is the Imperial Cult.

 

 

Losing because you did what is right and proper is not Heresy, but winning because you neglected your other duties to the Emperor most certainly is.

This sounds like poor self-justification. When an Inquisitor asks your Order to aid him/her in crushing a Chaos cult, but the Sisters fail because their self-inflicted injuries made them too weak to defeat the cultists, do you think the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy will accept the explanation, "It was right and proper that we lose, because our duty to punish ourselves for our sins is more important than the Inquisitor's orders"?

 

Some less puritan inquisitors wouldn't, some more puritan inquisitors would, I think. Again, it's a matter of interpretation. I imagine the rest of the Ministorum finds this Order's behavior extreme, but hardly heretical.

 

About the pain glove: that's not at all the same. First off I don't want to steal an Imperial Fists thing, secondly, like I said, I wanted to work with the themes of actual self mortification, and the pain glove just isn't that. It's not a bad idea, but I don't find it interesting so I personally am not going to pursue it.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

So anyone that flagellates them self is a Khornate cultist?

They may not consciously worship Khorne, but they are still strengthening the Blood God.

Self-mortification is not a Khornate trait since it has nothing to do with combat.

Self-harm (including suicide) is a Khornate trait. Read William King's The Wrath of Khârn, where a Berserker whose wounds immobilized him, frustrated he would be unable to continue fighting, chops off his own head; Khârn viewed the suicidal Berserker as a devout one, and chose to personally honor him.

[Doctor Perils]

Glad to see this thread getting revived :tu:

 

 

 

So anyone that flagellates them self is a Khornate cultist?

They may not consciously worship Khorne, but they are still strengthening the Blood God.

Self-mortification is not a Khornate trait since it has nothing to do with combat.

Self-harm (including suicide) is a Khornate trait. Read William King's The Wrath of Khârn, where a Berserker whose wounds immobilized him, frustrated he would be unable to continue fighting, chops off his own head; Khârn viewed the suicidal Berserker as a devout one, and chose to personally honor him.

 

What Servant of Dante means is that self-mutilation is not a solely Khornate trait.

 

The Independent Characters' recent episode about Khorne bought up some interesting points about the idea of blood flowing strengthening the blood god. While I didn't agree with everything they said on the episode, they bought up a very interesting analysis on exactly what kind of blood shed would strengthen Khorne: their theory is essentially that blood that is spilled in anger makes the difference, whereas blood spilled in devotion to the God Emperor probably wouldn't.

 

Plus, the Imperium often makes a very big amount of bloodshed - indeed, that's the whole purpose of the Sisters of Battle, to kill heretics and mutants and xenos. Even if this blood shed does strengthen Khorne, the Imperium obviously either are not aware of that fact or don't very much care. The Imperium at large seems to care little about true efficiency, as long as the ennemies of mankind are slaughtered and the God-Emperor's will is done. In that optic, if a sect or order of Sisters of Battle see self mortification as an act of devotion to the Emperor, they are damn well going to do it, even if it renders them less efficient - same with the spiky quill: it's kitsch as :cuss , but is that a bad thing per se?

 

Regarding assymetric colour schemes: do you think of the Howling Griffons as mutants? If no, then you shouldn't have a problem with other factions having asymetric colour schemes; if yes, then you should consider that others may not agree with you and you should therefore not try to impose your views on them.

 

Please, remember this: your views on the 40k universe are your own. You are allowed to have them, you are encouraged to express them. You should however remain aware that others' views may not be the same but they are still allowed to have them and express them, and you shouldn't stop them from doing so.

[Willy Pete]

I like the second image myself, the contrast makes it stand out more.

 

Of course, my Sisters, (of the Bloody Rose)  have white fleur-de-leys and bright gold wings on their red armor, so I may ​be a tad bit prejudiced.  

[Servant of Dante]

Well, I've worked up the fluff on the founding of the order. Needless to say, there's plenty more to add, including some important events directly after the founding. I'm sure there's some typos and clunky word choice in here. I'm pretty excited about this, as I mentioned before this order is a concept I've wanted to work up for a good while!

--------------------

Order of the Weeping Heart

Home World: Azrithine, a Minor shrine world near Dimmamar

Main Colours: Black, White, Red

Order Type: Militant 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!”

Patron Saint: TBD

Current Strength: TBD

Traditional Full Strength: Around 150 sisters

Filicaene 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 its resources to screening Ministorum personnel. She believed that Daughters of the Emperor must not only life faithfully in the way all the Imperium should but must 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, other said she had gone insane. However, there were those within the Valorous Heart with whom her message resonated; 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, Filicaene’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 Filicaene’s peers felt her actions were unbefitting of her station and that she was wasting Adepta resources.

Foundation in Penance

“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 Filicaene’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 stripping of her rank. The Canoness Superior had not acted on Filicaene’s behavior because of her sizable, following. In removing the Canoness Preceptor from her post she risked making an ideological martyr of her. In her view, Filicaene was still an adequate Canoness Preceptor with a sharp mind, and the stripping of her rank seemed likely to cause further disruptions in the Order’s operation. 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 Filicaene, 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 Filicaene’s beliefs to be more inconvenient than inadmissible, as the Adepta did have a mandate to keep watch for corruption within the Ecclesiarchy, although her disruption of the smooth operation of the Valorous Heart could not continue. To this end, she announced the creation of a new Order Minoris, to be led by Canoness Filicaene, 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 Filicaene’s punishment was not really a punishment at all, but no major incidents occurred.

The Prioress, Ahena and Filicaene 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 great role in ending the Reign of Blood, pleased Filicaene, 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.

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.

[Servant of Dante]

Ok, I have the fluff basically done, though I'm posting it in a new thread, since this was more a personal project than anything else :D