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Achilus Crusade - Tyranid: Dagon OverlordMahir Leaper, vanguard organismMist Reaper, unique Hive Fleet Dagon LictorWhat Lies Beneath, Trygon variant |
Acolyte Hybrid - Acolyte Hybrid: An Acolyte Hybrid is a Genestealer hybrid born of the first or second generation following infestation of a Human host organism by the corruptive "kiss" of the Genestealer Patriarch. Unable to pass for remotely Human, they often serve as shock troops and the inner coven of the Patriarch. |
Acolyte Hybrid - Role: Repulsive, cruel and possessed of an animal cunning, the Acolyte Hybrids are the foremost disciples of the Genestealer Cults. They are the offspring of the very first baseline hosts to become infected. Though the parents of the Acolyte Hybrids are outwardly whole and sound members of their species, part of their mind has been taken over by the Genestealer Curse. Their love for their hideous alien offspring is even more intense than the usual bond between parents and children because of the psychic influence of the Broodmind.The first generation to be born unto them are twisted beyond recognition by the horrific alien germ-seed that has been carried to fruition within the implanted parent; these Genestealer hybrids appear more like mutant Tyranids than altered Humans. Those that reach maturity will flock together and interbreed, producing more generations of the Genestealer brood-cycle in their turn.Too obviously xenos in form and behaviour to blend into Human society in the manner of third and fourth generation hybrids, the Acolytes instead haunt the dark places beneath urban and industrial sprawls. They learn the arts of stealth and ambush warfare by preying upon those unfortunates who stray into their lairs. They do not kill with impunity, for nothing must alert the ruling classes of their world to the hidden menace lurking beneath them until the time is right. Those intruders who are not sliced into bloody ribbons are dragged into the darkness to meet a far darker fate: the horrific embrace of a Purestrain Genestealer.Those Acolytes closest to their Patriarch in body and mind form its inner coven -- though savage and ferocious, they have a cold intelligence that makes them powerful agents of the cult. Having assimilated an echo of their parent's brain during gestation, they are often able to use complex machinery and Imperial weaponry -- some even carry industrial tools to battle, wreaking devastation upon the flesh of those who stand before them.Huge drills, cutters and buzzing rock saws have proven devastatingly effective against even the most formidable protection, chewing through the ceramite plating of Space Marine power armour in moments and even pulverising the thick metal hulls of Imperial tanks and troop transports.Though Acolytes typically prefer the clash of brutal melee combat, their dextrous limbs are well suited to the use of ranged weaponry. Many carry Hand Flamers, sadistically savouring the screams of foes wreathed in fire, while others wield crude yet effective Autopistols taken from their gene-sect's underground armouries. Some amongst their number relish the devastating eruptions of mining explosives, and charge into battle hurling high-yield demolition charges.Almost all Acolyte Hybrids bear not two but three unnaturally powerful alien arms that mark them as the true inheritors of their Patriarch's curse. Their Genestealer ancestry makes them excellent shock troopers, able to tear apart the finest defenders of Humanity when they bring their claws to bear.For all their ferocity, the greatest weapon at the Acolyte Hybrids' disposal is their ability to strike from the shadows. They boil up from hidden lairs into the heart of the enemy formation, slicing and tearing their prey apart before guns and blades can be brought to bear. |
Acolyte Hybrid - Unit Composition: 4 to 19 Acolyte HybridsAcolyte Leader |
Acolyte Hybrid - Acolyte Hybrids: AutopistolCultist KnifeRending clawsBlasting ChargesHand Flamer (As replacement for Autopistol)Heavy Rock Cutter (As replacement for Cultist Knife and Autopistol)Heavy Rock Drill (As replacement for Cultist Knife and Autopistol)Heavy Rock Saw (As replacement for Cultist Knife and Autopistol)Demolition Charge (As replacement for Cultist Knife and Autopistol)Sacred Cult Banner (Only for Acolyte Iconward, if present) |
Acolyte Hybrid - Acolyte Leader: Bonesword (As replacement for Cultist Knife)Bonesword and Lash Whip (As replacement for Cultist Knife and Autopistol) |
Acolyte Iconward - Acolyte Iconward: An Acolyte Iconward is among the most highly trusted Acolyte Hybrids of a Genestealer Cult who has been entrusted with the duty of bearing the cult's sacred standard into battle. |
Acolyte Iconward - Role: The most intelligent and capable of a cult's Acolyte Hybrids will be entrusted with a sacred duty -- the bearing of the cult's colours into battle. Though the cult's sigils and slogans spread ever further as it gains influence, they remain cryptic, their clandestine meanings known only to a few.Once the Primus and Magus muster their kin for the final uprising, however, the most favoured hybrids are presented with ornate standards lovingly fashioned by the prey-creatures that gave birth to them. In solemn ritual these banners are emblazoned with the cult's icon, not hidden away, but displayed proudly in bright colours.Alongside their imposing heraldry, the icons of the cults are strung with many treasures fashioned from xenos biomatter. The vials that hang from the icon glimmer with an unsettling luminescence. They are filled with pheromonal secretions taken from the Genestealer Patriarch itself. The scent of these sacred oils further emboldens both the Iconward and nearby cultists, filling them with a transcendent euphoria and deadening their nerves to pain and trauma. Lashed to the banner's pole are chitinous blades grown from splinters of the cult-father's hardened exoskeleton, holy relics that resonate with its divine power.Many cults add their own heirloom artefacts to the icon -- the bleached bones of fallen saints, symbolic weapons of resistance, or the captured heraldry of their enemies defaced with the sinister iconography of the cult.Iconwards are amongst the fiercest fighters to emerge from the early spawning cycles; they must be, for the banners they carry are an overt display of the cult's supremacy that swiftly draws the eye of enemy champions and zealots. These blessed Acolytes defend their sacred artefact with single-minded focus, gladly sacrificing their own flesh and that of nearby broodkin to prevent even the most minor damage to their charge.The pseudo-religious artefacts hoisted aloft by the Iconwards have an electrifying effect upon the greater masses of the cult. The totem is a galvanising sight for one who has the taint of the Genestealer in their blood -- so much so that many an uprising's battles have been won simply because the Acolyte Iconward raised their standard.Not only do they form rallying points and statements of conquest, they also inspire those around them to greater feats of devotion and self-sacrifice -- for the Acolyte carries the glory of the broodkin writ large, the underworld heraldry of Patriarch, Primus and Magus held high for all to see. |
Acolyte Iconward - Wargear: AutopistolRending clawBlasting ChargeSacred Cult Banner - The sight of a cult's banner flying in the hot breeze of war stirs the soul of the Patriarch’s chosen. Such rapture can send the devoted throng into a frenzy of contempt for the unblessed adversary. |
Acreage - Acreage: AcreageFeudal WorldCalixis SectorsectorAstra MilitarumEmperorFor most of the citizens of Acreage, the Emperor and the Imperium are merely another set of masters. The inhabitants would seldom think to raise their heads from their daily toil, whether it be in the gruel fields or the sky-mills, to contemplate what lies far beyond the bounds of their world.A world divided into innumerable feudal demesnes, where armoured nobles clash and the people suffer under an oppressive serfdom. Acreage was formerly ruled over by the High King of the Grand Realm of Ascandia, but is currently in the grip of long-running and bloody war of succession. The years of misrule and desolation are taking their toll, as the planet’s level of technology is starting to backslide from its high medieval zenith -- a matter not helped by the merciless extraction of its Imperial tithe regardless of local conditions. |
Acreage - War of the Rhozes: The civil war on Acreage all started about five standard years earlier, in 994.M41, and like so many wars before, it could have easily been avoided. The world of Acreage is ruled by the High King of Ascandia, and in the eyes of the Imperium, he is also considered the Planetary Governor of Acreage. At the time, Gordanus was the reigning High King who had a long and prosperous reign, under which the soul-crushing toil of his subjects had been perhaps marginally easier -- or perhaps marginally harder -- soul-crushing toil being part of the average peasants' existence with a life expectancy of only twenty-six.Finally, like all good kings, Gordanus died peacefully in his bed, or was possibly foully murdered -- the inhabitants are not big on autopsies or asking too many questions. With his recent death, the former High King had, unfortunately, left his twin daughters Rhozena and Rhozeia in direct succession to the throne. However, Gordanus failed to name either one as his successor before his death, so the girls turned to their ultimate lord and master, the Emperor of Mankind, to determine which of them was to take both the throne and title of Planetary Governor and rule over all of Acreage.Tragically, an Administratum clerical error omitted the last two letters of the successor's name from the reply, stating only that Rhoze was now officially recognised as the ruler of Acreage. Initially the girls were cordial with each other and sent a series of requests for clarification. However, these seemed to fall on deaf ears and no further responses were forthcoming. In fact, the Administratum scrivener responsible for the initial mistaken missive had kept the issue quiet.With silence from the Imperium, it didn’t take long for Rhozena and Rhozeia to resort to violence to ensure that each of them, and themselves alone, would become the ruler of Ascandia. In a matter of weeks each had amassed the support of dozens of lesser Nobles, each willing to swear to the validity of their chosen queen's claim to the throne and prove it with the blood of their citizens.The resulting conflict has dragged on with neither of the Rhozes gaining much in the way of an advantage, due in equal parts to the primitive nature for their weapons (cannon, sword, and musket for the most part) and the treachery of their nobles (it is not uncommon for a lord's allegiance to change several times a day, often in the midst of a battle).Ironically, the state of strife on Acreage has actually increased its level of Imperial tithe as both Rhozes frantically try and outdo the other in their service to the Imperium, no doubt hopeful that they will finally receive support to oust the other. This state of affairs has also led directly to the Administratum department responsible for the misunderstanding to own up to their involvement.Claiming it was all part of a carefully devised plan, they have gone so far as to suggest that this kind of tithe boosting technique could be used on other worlds. In any case, as the war poses no threat or disruption to the planet's role within the Imperium, it has for the most part been ignored. Given all these factors, it seems unlikely that the situation on Acreage will resolve itself anytime soon, and the bloodshed and chaos will continue. |
Acreage - Politics: The same, however, cannot be said for the dominating class of Acreage's nobles (who often claim such titles on little more than strength of arms and poorly-forged documents). They are constantly in conflict, both clandestinely and overtly, to rule the vast toiling masses. Power equals status on Acreage. The amount of land and people a noble commands directly equates to his standing with the High King of Acreage, and it is the High King who carries the favour of the Imperium of Man, the greatest master of all.On Acreage, the High King’s realm, known as Ascandia, spans the majority of the northern landmass, stretching for thousands of miles and encompassing hundreds of thousands of people, cultures, and scores of lesser feudal princes, kings and queens. It is a land of rugged mountains, dark icy forests and endless lonely plains, broken only by primitive villages and stinking greyish gruel fields or the precarious towering sky-mills.For the last few years, however, the relative stability of this realm, and in fact most of Acreage, has been rent apart by a bloody civil war. The last High King died without naming an heir, leaving his surviving children to bicker and fight amongst themselves for the title in a war in which thousands have already perished. This has been a prosperous time for the nobles, as each has taken the advantage of the mayhem of war to expand their domains or settle old scores. It has also drawn more off-world interest to Acreage, in the form of mercenaries and traders, seeking to make a profit through selling skills, training and advanced weapons.One such noble taking advantage of these off-world visitors is Prince Orcan, lord of the City of Olrakan. Also known as the Floating City, Olrakan sprawls along a section of the southern coast of Ascandia, where the foetid Chitin Swamps meet the dark waters of the Sea of Sorrows. The city is notable not only for its construction, standing atop countless rotting posts above the stinking waters of the swamp, but also for its proximity to one of Acreage’s few spaceports - Emperor’s Island, located several miles out to sea.Prince Orcan has cultivated his position throughout the war by controlling much of the traffic to and from Emperor’s Island; brokering deals with other nobles for access to precious off-world cargo and skilled soldiers. Inevitably this monopoly has created a great deal of jealousy amongst his nearest neighbours, and more than once, Olrankan has been besieged by the cannon-barges and musketmen of a rival lord. However, the same off-world weapons and soldiers that have sparked such attacks have also ensured Orcan’s victory every time thus far. His rivals, however, have not yet been deterred and continue to try periodically to take the city by force. |
Acreage - Local Flora and Fauna: While Prince Orcan's attentions have been focused on the enemies outside his walls, a far more dangerous group of individuals have infiltrated his domain -- the Slaugth. Insidious and disturbing sentient aliens, the Slaugth are carrion eaters who use their vile cunning to foment war and strife so that they may feed off the resulting carnage.Olrankan's constant state of turmoil has proved the perfect nesting ground and they have secretly set themselves up within the city to feed on its inhabitants. Not content to simply devour the war dead, the Slaugth have also been harvesting corpses and spreading terror themselves.Every night they send out their alien pets -- xenos predators selected for their aggression and horrific natures -- to hunt the locals. These monsters kill indiscriminately and leave only tales of terror in their wake. |
Acuitor Mech-Assassin - Acuitor Mech-Assassin: An Acuitor Mech-Assassin is part of an order of assassins within the Adeptus Mechanicus that operates amongst the Lathe Worlds of the Calixis Sector.Acuitor Mech-Assassins are dedicated to the art of death. They answer only to the Magisters Samadhi of their own order, and usually operate according to their masters' will without scrutiny.The Acuitor Set of the Lathes, less formally called the "Mech-Assassins," are trained in the art of stealth, able to move within plain sight amongst the lay folk throughout the sector, hidden from scrutiny beneath heavy red robes.These executioners are pulled from across the Lathes and beyond, and instructed in secret fortresses scattered throughout the Calixis Sector. Most candidates who are chosen have proven both faithful and capable of using the skills of the Adeptus Mechanicus to deadly effect.Through the mentally recorded data-tracts left by their founder, Magos Samadhi, the Mech-Assassins believe these cogitations guide them to the targets of their wrath and aid them in making short work of those who oppose the rulers of the Lathes and the will of the Machine God. |
Acuitor Mech-Assassin - History: The Acuitor Set Mech-Assassins of the Lathes are notorious killers that hail from the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge Worlds in the Calixis Sector known as the Lathes. Though the truth of the origins of the Acuitor Set is scattered throughout the Lathe Worlds like scraps of data disrupted with a ferromagnetic purge, some shadowy records still remain.During the days of the Angevin Crusade, a pious magos by the name of Samadhi led his modest forces to several key victories in the Mechanicus' grand campaign against the Adrantians in what would eventually become the Calixis Sector.After the Lathe Worlds were granted to the Adeptus Mechanicus in 380.M39 for their efforts in the crusade, Samadhi used his new-wrought influence to form a secret organisation. Some stories say that this was with the tacit permission of the already-powerful Lords Dragon, the Mechanicus' secret cabal of doctrine enforcers, based on a promise of future service to their cause.He then trained and dedicated the members of this sub-cult to the art of eliminating the enemies of the Omnissiah. Samadhi established the hidden fortresses scattered throughout the realm of the Lathes, such as Rasamal on Lathe-Hesh and the citadel of Tumala in the heart of the shrouded Panopticon Orbital Station, in which his disciples could be sharpened into perfect tools of the Omnissiah and terrifying instruments of death.It is whispered that, one day, Samadhi himself vanished into the depths of the archive of Tumala, perhaps finally betrayed by the frailty of flesh, or perhaps becoming one with the ancient cogitators contained in the fortress. No matter the circumstances of his departure, Samadhi's disciples rallied around the data-tracts that the first grand magister of the Acuitor Set left in his wake.His adherents believe that these data-tracts, based on recordings of his own cogitations, contain his ultimate scheme -- a plan in which all disciples participate, but that none fully understand. Decanting his stored knowledge into their own minds, the agents of the Acuitor Set followed in their patron's footsteps and tirelessly hunted any they saw as obstacles to the goals of the Adeptus Mechanicus in the Calixis Sector.Starting with the first disciples to succeed the patron of the Acuitor Set, all those who have claimed the title of magister within the organisation have taken on the cognomen "Magister Samadhi" upon their ascension to this elevated rank, and through them, Samadhi's name has become as Death itself.In this day and age, the Acuitor Set has quietly expanded, and though its members are still fleetingly rare, there are several worlds upon which they recruit those gifted in treading the Omnissiah's darker paths. Most of the recruits are already seasoned Tech-priests, those who have already had to call upon their unique skills to slay their foes, either because of battlefield appointments, poor luck, or a logical reason that required violent conflict.After passing rigorous trials, recruits are infused with the data-tracks of the order's long-missing founder. Though recruits remain individuals, each carries a part of the vast, calculating mind that spun the Acuitor Set into being.With the knowledge contained in the ancient data-tracks, all Acuitor Mech-Assassins can act according to a single, immense plan without ever setting eyes on other agents after their training or even grasping the true extent of the design.The labours of all become one in the shadows, casting the grim silhouette of Magister Samadhi over the Calixis Sector long ages after his disappearance. |
Acuitor Mech-Assassin - Becoming an Acuitor Mech-Assassin: Tech-priests who are chosen to become Acuitors are pulled from across the Lathes and beyond, and instructed in secret fortresses scattered throughout the Calixis Sector, such as Tumala and Rasamal. Most candidates are those who have proven both faithful and capable of using the skills of the Adeptus Mechanicus to deadly effect.To become an Acuitor is to become a part of a pattern greater than oneself, as all members of the Set mentally carry the stored data-memories of Magister Samadhi, which guide them to the targets of their wrath and aid them in making short work of those who oppose the Lathes.Those who can survive the weight of the data-tracts and even begin to decipher the ancient, inscrutable memories, become killers of the greatest calculable efficiency and ruthlessness.So it is that these disguised agents roam the sector, maintaining voidships, repairing cogitators, unjamming weapons, and occasionally slaughtering their unsuspecting prey. The methods by which a Mech-Assassin can kill are varied; some value a clean kill at a distance, while others prefer to slay with elaborately created traps or carefully scripted malfunctions.There are also those who like to feel the "wet-iron" of their victims run in crimson rivulets down their bladed Mechadendrites. Many Acuitors also train themselves to enter a state of terrible frenzy on command, flooding their minds with the Samadhi data-tracts so that it might guide their movements in the thick of battle.This practice makes them fearless in the knowledge that all proceeds according to the grand magister's plan. These counterpoints -- clinical, razor-sharp forethought, and savage battle-fury -- balance to make a fully trained Acuitor Mech-Assassin one of the deadliest individuals the Lathes have ever honed.In all cases, however, the sharpest weapon an Acuitor possesses is his mind. Whenever possible, an Acuitor elaborately plans a kill, running simulation after simulation in his augmented cranium and including a wide array of factors that few without the gifts of the Omnissiah could effectively consider.He might stalk his target for solar months or Terran years at a time, gathering ever more information to befiled away for his grim purpose. An Acuitor Mech-Assassin's honed, clicking mind allows him to utilise nearly anything as a lethal weapon; steam pipes become a scalding trap to an unwary passer-by, a firearm becomes a timebomb for its user, and an ancient cogitator becomes a shadowy maze from which a known Heretek's mind cannot escape, even as his body sits helpless before it.Even if he cannot kill with his surroundings, an Acuitor might depressurise a voidship's cabin or redirect a plasma reactor's vent into a nearby air duct, all to force an enemy into a vulnerable position.Infinite possibilities for murder unfold before a member of the Acuitor Sect, and finding the best one for an enemy of the Omnissiah is simply his role in the greater Quest for Knowledge. |
Adamant Fury - Adamant Fury: The Adamant Fury is a Traitor Titan Legion in the service of the Ruinous Powers. |
Adamant Fury - Notable Campaigns: Saint Cyllia Massacre (863.M41) - The Adamant Fury Titan Legion turns away from the Emperor and falls to Chaos. It turns its guns on Loyalist regiments of the Planetary Defence Force and the Astra Militarum before making its escape.Planus Steppes Assault (883.M41) - The Cadian 423rd Regiment's spearhead under Knight Commander Pask engaged in the largest armoured assault since the Battle of Tallarn when they clashed with the Renegade Adamant Fury Legion upon the Planus Steppes. Supported on the flank by hundreds of tanks from the Iron Hands Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, the Traitor Titan Legion was nearly destroyed, though Imperial forces suffered the loss of over eight thousand tank companies and thirty five super-heavy detachments. |
Adamant Fury - Notable Titans: Damnation Eternus - The Damnation Eternus was one of the Adamant Fury Legion's Titans that was destroyed during the Saint Cyllia Massacre. Knight Commander Pask and his company accounted for no less than four Traitor Titans destroyed, and the dreaded Damnation Eternus was despatched by the Knight Commander himself -- a single Battle Cannon shell pierced its black hull and struck its tainted reactor. The resulting meltdown destroyed the corrupted war machine in a cataclysmic explosion. |
Adamant Fury - Notable Personnel: None listed in current Imperial records. |
Adamant Fury - Legion Colours: This Traitor Titan Legion's colours are not listed in current Imperial records. |
Adamant Fury - Legion Badge: This Traitor Titan Legion's badge is not listed in current Imperial records. |
Adamantine Lions - Adamantine Lions: The Adamantine Lions is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and genetic origin. |
Adamantine Lions - Notable Campaigns: Indomitus Crusade (ca. 999.M41 - ca. 111.M42) - The Adamantine Lions were assigned to serve as part of Task Force XI of Battle Group Kallides of the Indomitus Crusade Fleet Primus. Battle Group Kallides fought against the Necrons located in the foreboding region of the galaxy designated the Pariah Nexus.Argovon Campaign (Unknown Date.M42) - This campaign of the Pariah Crusade was fought in the Argovon System within the Pariah Nexus region. The Imperial forces faced the Necron Szarekhan and Oruskh Dynasties. The campaign was spearheaded by High Field Marshal Janred Remko Hynflagger and his Task Force XI. At the system capital and Shrine World of Argolish the Imperials found the effects of The Stilling at its weakest. Yet, the world had still been assaulted by Necrons who had emerged from a Dolmen Gate. The Astra Militarum's 811th Veolan Black Guard regiment won renown for the running battle that lasted for 100 solar days through the Great Gardens of St. Bartholema the Pure Heart. They were aided by a Terminator assault from the Adamantine Lions, who slew a Necron Lord and a member of the Necrons' council. This confusion bought time for the 82nd Varhian Jackals of the Militarum Tempestus to evacuate the priceless mosaic of the Emperor called The Most Glorious Emperor While He Yet Walked Among Us from the small chapel that held it. |
Adamantine Lions - Chapter Colours: The Adamantine Lions' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records. |
Adamantine Lions - Chapter Badge: The Adamantine Lions' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records. |
Adamantium - Adamantium: Adamantium is a metal that is perhaps the strongest substance known to the Imperium, and is invulnerable to attacks from most known weapons.It was the material used to construct the Imperial Palace's inner Eternity Gate, and is often used in conjunction with plasteel and ceramite to produce items that require incredible tensile strength, such as in the structure of power armour, Terminator Armour or the construction of Imperial Titans.Many items made in the past from adamantium cannot be reverse-engineered by the Imperium's tech-adepts because their adamantium shells are so strong that they cannot be disassembled. |
Adamus Temple - Adamus Temple: The Adamus Temple, originally known as the Clade Adamus, was the oldest of the clades of the Officio Assassinorum during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. It is unclear whether it survives into the 41st Millennium as one of the Officio Assassinorum's present temples.Clade Adamus Assassins are master swordsmen and melee specialists, drawing on some of the most ancient blade-master traditions of Old Earth. A Clade Adamus Assassin is fast and absolutely lethal in melee, able to go toe-to-toe with almost any foe -- and defeat them with their Nemesii Blade.Adamus Assassins were dedicated to decapitation strikes intended to eliminate an enemy military force's command and control. |
Adamus Temple - History: Perhaps the oldest of formal orders of Assassins operating with Imperial sanction, the Adamus Clade draws its roots in the forbidden blade-master traditions of the Panpacific region of Terra. The histories of the clade are much shrouded by the losses of the Dark Age of Technology, though scholars have posited that the very name of the clade is drawn from an ancient theologic provenance, meaning "the first blades."To practice the ways of Clade Adamus is to study the enemy, to learn their martial language and to reflect it against them, countering their strengths to reveal weaknesses. When these weaknesses are uncovered, the killing blow is struck. The Clade Adamus' operatives are experts in the art of the decapitation strike -- proving that old Terran adage about the body dying if you can kill the head. |
Adamus Temple - Wargear: Panoply of the Assassin - Each individual Assassin is issued with a standardised set of wargear, including a combat blade and an array of grenades, and is supplemented with the varied specialised equipment of each Assassinorum clade. The basis of this standardised equipment is the synthetic body glove suit that Assassins of all clades wear during combat operations. In addition to environmental protection, temperature regulation and chroma-syncronisation with the surroundings to aid concealment, the suit incorporates a neuro-linked system of responsive fibre bundles. Capable of stretching and contracting to enhance the wearer's musculature and dynamically rearranging its molecular structure to temporarily form a hyper-hardened carapace, these suits dissipate and reabsorb the energy of kinetic shocks, allowing the wearer to free-fall from great heights and deflect shell impacts and shrapnel without harm. Combined with the rigorous battle training and combat conditioning that each Assassin undergoes, the result is an operative that can far exceed the capabilities of a mortal Human on the battlefield.Nemesii Blade - Forged by the indentured tech-wrights of Clade Adamus, each Nemesii blade is alleged to be patterned after an Ancient Terran artefact, held in stasis within the core vaults of Temple Adamus itself. Despite having no obvious force-projectors or augmentations, these weapons are possessed with an unnaturally sharp edge, able to cut through flesh and armour with impunity.Needlespine Blaster - The Needlespine Blaster combines a rapid-fire bolter component with a deadly needler that makes use of an enhanced synthetic venom. The preserve of Clave Adamus operatives, the Needlespine Blaster fires an intensified pulse-beam of las energy, through which darts of an exotic metallic alloy are projected at incredible speeds. In the trained hands of an Adamus Assassin this weapon can make a mockery of even the thickest armour, but to the uninitiated, its bulk and complexity make it all but unusable. |
Adamus Temple - Trivia: The Adamus Assassin is the direct descendant of the Warhammer 40,000 1st Edition "Imperial Assassin" miniature. |
Adepta Sororitas - Adepta Sororitas: The Adepta Sororitas, colloquially called the "Sisterhood," whose military arm is also known as the Sisters of Battle and formerly as the Daughters of the Emperor, are an all-female division of the Imperium of Man's state church known as the Ecclesiarchy or, more formally, as the Adeptus Ministorum.The Sisterhood's Orders Militant serve as the Ecclesiarchy's armed forces, mercilessly rooting out spiritual corruption and heresy within Humanity and every organisation of the Adeptus Terra.There is naturally some overlap between the duties of the Sisterhood and the Imperial Inquisition; for this reason, although the Inquisition and the Sisterhood remain entirely separate organisations, the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas also act as the Chamber Militant of the Inquisition's Ordo Hereticus.The Adepta Sororitas and the Sisters of Battle are commonly regarded as the same organisation, but the latter title technically refers only to the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, the best-known part of the organisation to the Imperial public.The Sisterhood serves as the Ministorum's only official military force because the Decree Passive laid down by the reformist Ecclesiarch Sebastian Thor held that in the wake of the Age of Apostasy's Reign of Blood in the 36th Millennium, the Ecclesiarchy cannot maintain any "men under arms."This command was supposed to limit the power of the Ecclesiarchy by preventing it from maintaining the massive armies of the faithful Frateris Templar it once used to abuse its power from the 32nd to the 36th Millennia.However, the Adeptus Ministorum has been able to circumvent this decree with the subtle acquiescence of the Inquisition by deploying the all-female military force of the Sisterhood's Orders Militant. |
Adepta Sororitas - History: The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle, are an elite sisterhood of warriors raised from infancy to adore and worship the Emperor of Mankind. Their fanatical devotion and unwavering spiritual purity is a bulwark against corruption, heresy and alien attack, and once battle has been joined they will stop at nothing until their enemies are utterly crushed.Battle-Sisters will stride through fire if need be, their bolters spitting staccato bursts of destruction every step of the way. Not even death can stay the wrath of the Adepta Sororitas -- indeed, the blood of martyrs only strengthens the resolve of battle-sisters, spurring them to greater acts of heroism in the name of the honoured fallen.The Adeptus Ministorum -- or the Ecclesiarchy as it is generally known in the Imperium -- is a monolithic state church founded on the worship of the God-Emperor as the saviour of Mankind and the preaching of the Imperial Creed throughout the whole galaxy.The Sisters of Battle are the army of the Ecclesiarchy. Clad in ceramite power armour, they carry an awesome array of weaponry with which to vanquish their enemies; the incredible wealth of the Ecclesiarchy ensures that they are equipped with the best wargear the Imperium has to offer.The Sisters of Battle are trained to the peak of human ability and stand amongst Mankind's most dedicated and disciplined warriors. Wherever there are foes of the Emperor, the Sisters of Battle will be found fighting with faith and steel. When not actively prosecuting the Ecclesiarchy's wars, the battle-sisters of the Orders Militant divide their time between rigorous training and devout worship of the God-Emperor.Indeed, to the Adepta Sororitas, the disciplines are nigh inseparable, for whilst combat drills and studies of battle tactics can hone the body and the mind, only penitent prayer can bolster the spirit, and all three are required to defeat the Imperium's foes.The combination of combat doctrine and prayer is most evident on the battlefield, where battle-sisters loudly proclaim their faith in hymn and verse as they march to war, calling upon the Emperor to aid them in the fight against their enemies.The intense, unquestioning nature of this faith is a potent weapon indeed, manifesting as divine inspiration that drives the Sororitas to unprecedented feats of martial prowess.Sisters of Battle gripped with holy fervour banish worldly fears from their minds, shrug off mortal wounds, and summon preternatural strength to smite their foes.The Sisters of Battle believe their faith to be a weapon stronger than any steel, and those who witness their battlefield miracles are left in no doubt that the spirit of the Emperor indeed walks with these pious warriors.Once battle has been joined, the Adepta Sororitas will stop at nothing until their enemies are utterly crushed. |
Adepta Sororitas - The Age of Apostasy: The Adepta Sororitas date their founding from the 36th Millennium during the turbulent times known as the Age of Apostasy. During this age the Ecclesiarchy held nigh-total power, which it used to ensure that every single subject of the Emperor in the Imperium paid their dues, both spiritually and financially, to the duly appointed officers of the faith. In time, the Ministorum exercised such power that it began to dictate the policies of the ruling Senatorum Imperialis of the High Lords of Terra.The ecclesiarch came to be viewed as speaking with the authority of the Emperor Himself, and he influenced every aspect of the governance of the Imperium. Perhaps it was inevitable that the other great bureaucracies of the Imperium should grow resentful of the Ministorum.The Adeptus Administratum in particular found its own powers greatly curtailed, for the Ministorum's tithes took precedence over its own raising of funds and resources, leaving little in the coffers to pay for the running of the secular components of the Imperium.The Administratum's political influence soon waned so far that the Ministorum was able to dictate policy in secular matters as well. The raising and deployment of armies, the prosecution of wars, the commitment of significant Imperial resources and the appointment of sector lords all fell under the effective control of the Ministorum.In time, other institutions began to distrust the Ministorum's power, and the Adeptus Astartes and the Adeptus Mechanicus in particular became increasingly estranged from the Ministorum-dominated Imperial government.As if the situation could not get any worse, the entire Imperium was soon plunged into even deeper despair. The incidence of Warp Storms, a phenomenon that cuts off vast swathes of the Imperium's space from interstellar travel and communication, increased by an order of magnitude.The Warp began to seethe with roiling energies which bled forth into realspace, making travel between anything other than worlds in the same planetary system increasingly perilous. Central governance of worlds limited to periodic contact at the best of times entirely collapsed.Where the Black Ships of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica were unable to get through, entire populations fell to daemonic incursion or Enslaver domination. Civil war and anarchy beset the Imperium, with those planets that remained accessible being ruthlessly suppressed by the increasingly brutal Frateris Templars. Seeing that their foes were tearing themselves apart, the myriad enemies of humanity struck.The Traitor Legions sallied forth from the Eye of Terror, using their own blasphemous sorceries to strike planets otherwise cut off from outside aid. Orks traversed the Warp in their ramshackle Space Hulks, uncaring where the tides of the Empyrean regurgitated them and wreaking havoc in regions previously beyond their reach.The Drukhari used their Webway to freely navigate the galaxy, and struck wherever they desired, dragging millions of captives screaming to their infernal realm of Commorragh, to suffer tortures and degradations beyond a sane man's imagination.The entire Imperium was gripped by an apocalyptic frenzy of doom and anarchy. Countless new sects sprung into being, many proclaiming that the God-Emperor was enacting His final judgement upon Mankind and that the end times were at hand.No world was untouched by the anarchy, as whole populations rose up in increasingly bizarre and extravagant acts of penance and self-flagellation. Anyone who dared attempt to reason with such doomsayers were declared Heretics, and world after world tore themselves apart in an orgy of bloodletting and violent penance.Onto this doom-laden stage stepped the insane Goge Vandire, the 361st Master of the Administratum, a position he had attained by the ruthless application of bribes, threats and outright assassination. A strident opponent of the Ministorum, Vandire had plotted against it for many standard years.Shortly before his ascension to the rank of High Lord, Vandire brought about the selection of a man of his own choosing to head the Ecclesiarchy, ensuring that none could stand before his subsequent rise.As confidence in the new puppet-ecclesiarch, Paulis III, plummeted due to his reputation for incompetence and venality, Goge Vandire made his move, taking control of the Ecclesiarchy in a military coup d'etat orchestrated by Astra Militarum officers under his control who simply executed Paulis III outright, claiming that his behaviour proved that he was a heretic and made him unfit for his office.Vandire then used the support of various Ministorum cardinals he had bribed and otherwise brought under his influence to immediately call a conclave that selected him as the new ecclesiarch.Assuming the dual roles of ecclesiarch and master of the Administratum to become the most powerful person in the Imperium of Man, Vandire succeeded ultimately only in driving the Imperium into the bitterest period of civil war and rebellion it had known since the Horus Heresy -- remembered as the Reign of Blood. |
Adepta Sororitas - Daughters of the Emperor: Early in his tyrannical rule, Vandire's agent sent him word of a unique sisterhood of warrior-women living on the little known Agri-world of San Leor. Hearing of their ascetic way of life, their utter dedication to the Emperor, and in particular their skills at arms, Vandire decided that he would make a formal visit to the secluded convent of the "Daughters of the Emperor."The first that the inhabitants of San Leor knew about the state visit by the man who was the de facto lord of the Imperium was when several thousand of his retainers marched into their simple towns, and demanded that they show the High Lord the utmost devotion, on pain of death. Images of these vast processions were recorded by the spy-lenses of hundreds of Servo-skulls, and disseminated across every world in the Imperium not cut off by the raging Warp Storms. The image of the High Lord Vandire being "welcomed" to San Leor became a staple of Ecclesiarchy propaganda.When at last the vast cavalcade reached the gates of the convent in which the Daughters of the Emperor resided, Vandire found them barred and closed. The voice of the gatekeeper informed the High Lord that the Daughters of the Emperor recognised only the authority of the God-Emperor Himself, and would open their gates to no man. Vandire's attendants cringed in anticipation of an explosion of rage, yet uncharacteristically, the High Lord remained calm.In a serene manner, Vandire told the gatekeeper that he would prove that he spoke with the authority of the Emperor Himself, if they would allow him to enter their convent with but a small bodyguard. The Daughters of the Emperor acceded to Vandire's request, and the High Lord and a small group of his retainers were led into the central courtyard. There, Vandire announced to the gathered sisters that he would prove that the Emperor's Grace was upon him, and that should he lie, he would be slain.Vandire brandished his Rosarius, and ordered one of his bodyguards to shoot him. The man was dumbfounded, and fearful of harming his master, but Vandire insisted. Forcing his trembling hand to stillness, the guard aimed his Laspistol straight at Vandire's heart and fired. Vandire was consumed in a blinding white light, and when the vision of the gathered witnesses had cleared, they saw that he stood unharmed before them. All in the courtyard went down upon their knees, and the Daughters of the Emperor proclaimed their fealty to High Lord Vandire.In truth, Vandire had tricked the sisters, gambling that they would never have seen a Rosarius. It was the energy field projected by the generator within the ornate medallion that had turned the guard's shot, and not the protection of the Emperor. Nonetheless, the Daughters of the Emperor promised themselves to serve their new master, and at his word changed the name of their order to the "Brides of the Emperor."The sisters became Vandire's personal bodyguard, and their skill at arms was enhanced by training in the finest weapons and armour the High Lord could provide. The Brides of the Emperor would stand at Vandire's side wherever he went, and they were both his bodyguards and his executioners. Word of their dedication spread across the worlds of the Imperium, and none who entered the High Lord's presence would so much as look at him askance under the silent, watchful gaze of the Brides of the Emperor. |
Adepta Sororitas - The Terran Crusade: Countless millions soon burned in the fires of Vandire's Reign of Blood. It was during this dark, forbidding time that a reformist sect known as the Confederation of Light emerged and denounced Vandire as a Traitor. Led by the preacher Sebastian Thor, the Confederation of Light spread its message of a church dedicated not to politics and the secular rule of the Imperium but to the compassion and mercy of the Emperor to a brutalised people only too ready to throw off the yoke of oppression.An orator of supreme skill, Sebastian Thor swayed whole worlds to his cause and turned the tide against Vandire. As Thor's crusade smashed aside those who remained loyal to the Ecclesiarch, the Space Marines and the Adeptus Mechanicus, both of whom had remained largely on the defensive during the Age of Apostasy, were finally able to join forces with Thor and close on Terra.As Vandire's madness had become all too apparent, the Fabricator-General, Gastaph Hediatrix, of the Adeptus Mechanicus roused the Senatorum Imperialis to oust Vandire from power. Vandire's answer was to dissolve the Senatorium Imperialis and declare both the Mechanicus and the Adeptus Astartes Heretics and Traitors to the Imperium.This affront made the Space Marines reconsider their neutrality toward Vandire and the Reign of Blood in general, and at the height of the Age of Apostasy in 378.M36, an elite Space Marine strike force composed of forces drawn from the Imperial Fists, Black Templars, Fire Hawks, Soul Drinkers, and the forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus assaulted the Renegade High Lord Goge Vandire's seat of power -- the massive Ecclesiarchal Palace on Terra.The Space Marines, believing Vandire to be only protected by legions of zealous but ineffective Frateris Templar troops, launched one of their trademark lightning Drop Pod assaults. However, once on the ground, the Astartes found to their dismay that they had grossly underestimated the opposition. Facing them were a corps of superbly trained warrior women, clad in Power Armour and wielding Bolters, who fought with a passion remarkable even to their Astartes opponents and stood their ground to the last woman, fearless and fanatical in the belief that they were protecting the Emperor Himself.The Space Marines' assault bogged down as they were pushed back with casualties, and the attackers were forced to resort to a long, grinding and bloody siege of the Ecclesiarchal Palace complex with quarter neither asked for nor given. For solar months, Vandire's army withstood every assault. The madness only ended when Centurion Longinus of the Adeptus Custodes -- the praetorian guard of the Emperor Himself -- sought out Alicia Dominica and her most trusted companions, the leaders of Vandire's bodyguard.Longinus took them before the Golden Throne and the God-Emperor, and though no written histories tell of what transpired there, it was evident that some great truth was passed to Dominica and her fellow warriors. When they emerged from the bowels of the Imperial Palace they marched with barely-controlled fury to Vandire's audience chamber.There, they found him in the midst of yet another insane tirade, pausing only to condemn him for his crimes against the Emperor. Reportedly, Vandire's final words were "I don't have time to die -- I'm too busy!"Alicia Dominica drew her Power Sword and beheaded the High Lord. It is said that at the moment of truth Vandire's Rosarius, which had protected him upon San Leor, now failed him, its gleaming form cleaved in two by Alicia's blow. The Reign of Blood was over. |
Adepta Sororitas - The Reformation of the Ecclesiarchy: In the wake of Vandire's downfall, Sebastian Thor was declared the 292nd Ecclesiarch and the Imperium began the long process of rebuilding. Perhaps the most sweeping of changes Thor instigated affected the military forces over which the Ministorum held sway. What remained of the Frateris Templars was disbanded, under the terms of the so-called Decree Passive, which forbade the Adeptus Ministorum from controlling any "men under arms."Never again would the Ecclesiarchy threaten the continued rule of the Administratum. The Brides, after resuming their original title of Daughters of the Emperor, were at a loss as to what their purpose should be after this event, and so the Ecclesiarchy took the opportunity to recruit and indoctrinate them into the ranks of the Minostorum's military forces. Due to their all-female membership, the Daughters of the Emperor did not technically break the ban and thus, the Ecclesiarchy was able to circumvent the Decree Passive's strictures, even if the spirit of Thor's decree was rather blatantly disregarded.This newly formed military force was renamed the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas. The Sisterhood became true defenders of the faith and a very physical reminder of the power of the Ecclesiarchy. Trained to the highest levels possible for normal humans and possessed of a phenomenal faith in the God-Emperor of Mankind, the Sisters would go on to engage in Wars of Faith, bringing the light of the Emperor to parts of the galaxy that had fallen into darkness.During the first years of the Sisterhood's existence, Alicia Dominica, who founded the Orders Militant at Thor's behest, led wars of faith against the alien invaders that had exploited the Imperium's weakness during the Reign of Blood. Silvana, Mina, Lucia, Katherine and Arabella -- those Sisters who had joined her before the Golden Throne -- accompanied Dominica.Under their combined leadership, the Sororitas were filled with a righteousness of purpose that the Imperium had not witnessed since the legendary days of the Great Crusade. Countless enemies fell as the armies of the Sororitas brought the divine judgement of the Ecclesiarchy to the farthest corners of the galaxy, and to this day, the Sisters of Battle have stood as faithful and loyal defenders of the Ecclesiarchy, and the Imperium. |
Adepta Sororitas - Convocation of Nephilim: During Thor's Reformation, another organisation came into being at the end of the Age of Apostasy -- the Ordo Hereticus. Formed initially by the Inquisition to ensure that such a calamity as the Age of Apostasy could never again befall the Imperium, its remit soon expanded to cover not just doctrinal heresy against the Imperial Creed, but genetic and psychic divergence from baseline Humanity among the Imperial population as well.Soon after the formation of the Orders Militant, the masters of the Ordo Hereticus and the highest ranked sisters of the Adepta Sororitas signed the "Convocacion of Nephilim," a document that bound the Sisterhood to the Ordo Hereticus as its Chamber Militant.The exact details of this agreement have never been revealed, but some believe it to be linked to the knowledge imparted to Alicia Dominica and her companions before the Golden Throne. That such knowledge could be so dire as to bind the two organisations so formally is testament to the weight of the task with which the Adepta Sororitas and the Ordo Hereticus are burdened.Others believe that the Convocation was intended to curb the power of the Ecclesiarchy, exploiting the fact that the Sororitas are a loyal and zealous force that could be used to enforce the agendas of the newly formed Ordo, thus the Inquisition's willingness to turn a blind eye to the Ecclesiarchy's violation of the spirit of the Decree Passive.Whatever the truth, those who seek it without the blessing of the highest-ranking members of either organisation will find only a slow and painful death in the deepest excruciation chambers of the Ordo Hereticus, or a fiery, yet equally painful end at the hands of the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas. |
Adepta Sororitas - Wars of Faith: The Reign of Blood (Late M35-Early M36) - Goge Vandire engineers the ascension of the degenerate Ecclesiarch Paulis III, then becomes 361st High Lord of the Administratum. Shortly after, Vandire topples Paulis and assumes the mantle of both High Lord of the Administratum and Ecclesiarch. Vandire's Reign of Blood begins. Almost 14 billion are slaughtered by the Divine Army during the Purge of Lastrati. The Daughters of the Emperor from San Leor are co-opted into becoming Vandire's personal bodyguard, and are renamed the Brides of the Emperor. The Reign of Blood culminates in the Siege of the Ecclesiarchal Palace, at the height of which High Lord Vandire is executed by Alicia Dominca, the leader of the Brides of the Emperor.The Thorian Reformation (Early M36) - Sebastian Thor assumes the position of Ecclesiarch. The 4,000 or so surviving Brides of the Emperor become the Daughters of the Emperor once more. They are divided between the two newly established convents -- the Convent Prioris on Terra, and the Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII. Those sisters still residing at San Leor are transported to the new convents, and the foundations of the non-militant orders are laid. In 288.M36 the Decree Passive prohibits the Ecclesiarchy maintaining standing armies of "men under arms." The Daughters of the Emperor are officially constituted as the Adepta Sororitas. The ranks of the Adepta Sororitas swell to over 10,000 battle sisters, leading Sebastian Thor to establish the system of orders.The Martyrdom of Alicia Dominica (ca. 650.M36) - Alicia Dominica falls at the Battle of Frideswide's World, surviving hundreds of blows but falling to a single traitor’s lasgun blast to her heart. She is declared a saint soon after. Ecclesiarch Equitus XI formalises the position of Abbess of the Adepta Sororitas and appoints Sister Palmiro of the Order of the Holy Word to the position.Wars of Faith (Early M38) - During a century in which the power of the Ministorum reaches a peak not seen since the reformation of Saint Sebastian, a thousand Wars of Faith are launched across the length and breadth of the Imperium, and billions of heretics are put to the pyre.Founding of the Order of the Bloody Rose & the Order of the Sacred Rose (Mid M38) - An additional two Orders Militant are formed by order of Ecclesiarch Deacis VI. The Order of the Bloody Rose is founded at the Convent Sanctorum in honor of Saint Mina. The Order of the Sacred Rose, founded in memory of Saint Arabella, the last of the six sisters to enter the Throne Room, is formed at the Convent Prioris.The San Leore Massacre (799.M41) - A Red Corsairs strike force invades San Leor, the original homeworld of the Daughters of the Emperor. The Chaos Space Marines are unprepared for the fury of the Sororitas reprisal, as they come under assault from nine separate Orders Militant and are utterly annihilated by the combined counter-attack.The Battle of Fire and Blood (833.M41) - During the Vinculus Crusade, Black Templars Space Marine Chapter join forces with the Order of the Bloody Rose to purge the heretical warrior-cults of the Peleregon cluster.The War for Piety (835.M41) - The Shrine World of Piety rematerialises after being swallowed by a Warp storm two centuries earlier. The planet is, however, almost unrecognisable, having transformed into a hideous Daemon World. Canoness Sariah of the Order of the Sacred Rose immediately leads a force of Battle Sisters to the planet to retrieve artefacts from the Reliquary of Hope, one of the few sites on the whole world to have withstood the corrupting touch of Chaos. As the rest of her forces establish a formidable perimeter around the reliquary, Sariah leads several Celestian and Dominion squads into the labyrinthine corridors beneath it. For three days, Canoness Sariah and her Sisters battle through monster-infested passageways; bolters cut down scores of blood-hungry Daemon-hounds and flamers burn swathes of Nurglings and bloated plaguebeasts. Only Sariah and two Celestians survive to rejoin the Battle Sisters on the surface, having recovered the left thigh bone of Saint Dolan and three pages of the ominous Lexicon of Falsehoods from a stasis vault. The surviving Battle Sisters withdraw to orbit with their prizes just as a fleet of Grey Knights vessels arrives and lays waste to the planet with cyclonic torpedoes.The Defence of Dimmamar (858.M41) - Dimmamar, birth world of Sebastian Thor, comes under attack from the Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé without any warning or apparent reason. Seraphim Superior Amelda of the Order of the Bloody Rose immediately retaliates, leading her squad of Seraphim in a daring attack to slay the enemy commander -- Farseer Kauerith. The Seraphim's pistols blast a bloody path through a score of black-clad Eldar before the Sisters are engulfed in a hurricane of psychic lighting. Though many of her companions fall, Amelda refuses to yield and defiantly advances through the edritch storm, slaying the Eldar Farseer with a single bolt round to the head.The Bloodtide Martyrs (876.M41) - Chaos comes to the Basilica of St. Mariel on the world of Van Horne in the shape of the Bloodthirster known as the Lord of the Bloodtide. The first to oppose the Daemon's legions are the Battle Sisters of the Order of the Ebon Chalice, but soon after battle is joined, all contact is lost with the Adepta Sororitas. The Daemons are eventually vanquished with the arrival of the 4th Brotherhood of Grey Knights. Upon their victory, contact with the Imperium is re-established and it is discovered that every Battle Sister on the planet has been killed. The slain are officially elevated into the ranks of honoured martyrs in the eyes of the Sisterhood.The Slaughter at Sanctuary 101 (897.M41) - On a world in the Vidar Sector located in the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy, the Order of Our Martyred Lady had founded a fortress-convent designated Sanctuary 101. The isolated convent had the misfortune of being the Imperium's first recorded contact with the Necrons, where the Battle-Sisters were massacred by Necron Raiders. Video logs recorded a furious battle between the valiant Sisterhood and the Necron Warriors, but little of worth was displayed as there appears to have been an artificial disruption introduced into the recordings. Subsequent investigations into the site of battle revealed nothing more than the mutilated corpses of the Adepta Sororitas, eviscerated in a hideously surgical manner. No signs of the true nature of Sanctuary 101's undying attackers were ever found.The Battle of the Penitent (938.M41) - The Orders of the Valorous Heart and Ebon Chalice suffer great losses against Warboss Blackaxe's Orks and are pushed back to the walls of the Cathedral of Saint Dufaux. The attackers are held back only due to the unyielding determination and sacrifice of hundreds of Sisters Repentia. However, their martyrdom buys time for the Battle Sisters to open the vast cathedral gates. The greenskins are slaughtered shortly thereafter as two dozen Penitent Engines rampage across the battlefield, staining it with Ork blood.The Promethium War (980.M41) - The Order of the Ebon Chalice reinforces Space Marines of the Salamanders Chapter who are engaged in a brutal urban war against the dread Black Legion on the world of Heletine. The enemy is put to the torch as dozens of Immolators and Land Raider Redeemers burn a path through several war-torn cities. Despite the strength of their combined forces, the Imperium's advance is halted when Lord Gralastyx -- the Daemon Prince leading the forces of Chaos -- unleashes a legion of Possessed Chaos Space Marines. As the frenzied Chaos horde rips through the Imperium's ranks, Battle Sisters and Space Marines fight back-to-back, their bolters and flamers defiantly blazing away as every warrior endeavours to sell their life dearly. However, the allied forces are saved when Saint Celestine appears, falling upon the Chaos horde like an avenging angel. The Living Saint carves a bloody path through the baying horde towards Lord Gralastyx, before plunging her fiery blade through his tainted heart. With the death of Gralastyx, the Chaos horde is banished into the Warp, but of Celestine there is no sign, for she has vanished as mysteriously as she appeared.The Martyrdom of Praxedes (991.M41) - Canoness Praxedes of the Order of Our Martyred Lady reinforces the Imperial Guard on the cardinal world of Okassis, soon after the start of the Second Tyrannic War. As the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken assault the Ecclesiarchal Cathedral, the combined fire of Retributor squads and Exorcist tanks obliterates the first wave, but the second manages to breach the Cathedral's fortress-walls. As Tyranids pour through, Praxedes confronts a monstrous Hive Tyrant. During the fighting, the Canoness is dealt a mortal wound, but even as her blood pours onto the floor, Praxedes summons the strength to land one final blow, caving in the Hive Tyrant's skull with a thunderous strike from her power mace. With the Tyrant's destruction, the Tyranid swarm looses all direction. The Battle Sisters waste no time in pressing the assault, determined to avenge the death of their beloved leader. Such is the fury of their counter-attack that the remaining aliens are swept aside, buying the time needed to evacuate the Ecclesiarchy's priests from Okassis.The Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - The Orders of the Argent Shroud and Our Martyred Lady stand amongst the Imperium’s defenders as Ghazghkull Thraka invades the world of Armageddon once more. In the initial Ork assault, the Battle-Sisters' positions were attacked by large Ork submersibles which emerged from the Boiling Sea. Caught unawares by the audaciousness and sheer ferocity of the Greenskins' attack, many of the Battle-Sisters were slain. The Battle-Sisters were the front line of defence for Hive Tempestora, but their battle lines soon were overrun. This enabled the vile Greenskins to take control of the hive city's underhive within only a few hours. With each successive wave of Ork attacks, the Sisters were continuously pushed back, until finally they found themselves with their backs to the great armoured doors of their Sanctorum. It was there that the Battle-Sisters made their final heroic (but futile) stand against the encroaching Ork hordes. This day became one of the darkest within the Order's history as their battle lines crumpled and they were scattered. Those few Sisters that survived the final assault attempted to form their lines again but were cut down by the massive green tide of Orks. After an hour of savage fighting, no humans were left alive as the vile Orks took Hive Tempestora and the Sanctorum. After this defeat, the Order could barely field three whole companies. The loss of their Sanctorum and the many valiant Sisters who had fallen was acutely felt throughout the rest of the Order -- many Novices began questioning their faith in the Emperor. Those Battle-Sisters that remained recovered quickly, swearing mighty oaths of vengeance against the foul Greenskins and vowing to retake Hive Tempestora, no matter the cost. But before they could do so, the surviving Sisters of the Order were spread across the rest of the planet to help solidify key Imperial positions. Their presence proved pivotal in preventing the Orks from overrunning several areas of Armageddon. |
Adepta Sororitas - Organisation: In the 41st Millennium, the Adepta Sororitas is part of the Ecclesiarchy and is divided into two convents. The Convent Prioris is located on Terra, and the Convent Sanctorum is based on the Shrine World of Ophelia VII.The overall commander and spiritual leader of the entire Sisterhood and all its myriad Orders is the abbess sanctorum, the leader of the Convent Prioris on Holy Terra.As the recognised leader of the Adepta Sororitas, the Abbess Sanctorum is sometimes elected to join the ranks of the High Lords of Terra, while at other times she is subservient to the commands of the reigning ecclesiarch.The Convents of the Sisterhood are organised into several orders. Each order follows the same basic hierarchical structure:Order: An order is led by the most senior canoness, called the "canoness superior," who commands and administrates the entire Order. Each canoness superior is subservient only to the will of the abbess sanctorum.Preceptory: A preceptory contains a single convent with up to 1,000 sisters, so an Adepta Sororitas Preceptory is equivalent in size to a Space Marine Chapter and is led by a sister with the rank of canoness preceptor or prioress.Commandery: A commandery normally comprises several smaller convents or detachments of Orders Militant sisters from a single convent with up to 200 Sisters of Battle, commanded by a canoness commander. A commandery is more or less equal in size to a Space Marine company.Mission: The smallest organisational unit of the sisters, a mission consists of a few Sororitas units and can be led by a canoness or the lesser rank of palatine. |
Adepta Sororitas - Hierarchy: Unlike the many Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the Sisterhood is united into a single organisation with a centralised ruling body.The overall head of the Adepta Sororitas holds the rank of abbess sanctorum, and is elected from and by the leaders of all the Orders. Beneath the abbess sanctorum are two prioresses, one leading each Convent, and below these, the canonesses superior of each individual Order.There exists a hierarchy of sorts amongst these leaders, though to outsiders it is highly arcane and ritualistic and based on a system of precedence. Orders that were established by "Ecclesiarchal Writ" are ranked higher in the order of precedence than those that were formed by a group splitting off from a preexistent order. This is especially visible in the six Orders Militant Majoris, each of which has spawned dozens of far smaller Lesser Orders Militant, the canonesses superior of which rank lower in the order of precedence than those of their parent organisation.The canonesses superior are aided in their duties by their order's palatines. These are highly experienced and capable officers, from whose ranks the next canoness superior will be drawn.It is the palatines that often lead Missions in the field, whether the Order is an Order Militant fighting the enemies of Mankind, or an Order Hospitaller establishing a hospital at the front lines.Below the palatines are essentially the non-commisioned officers known as the sisters superior, who lead or supervise groups of their sisters in whatever tasks the Order in question is focussed upon.Members of the Adepta Sororitas can and do transfer from one Order to another, depending on their own unique skills and experience. In particular, a sister of an Order Militant may eventually transfer to a non-militant Order to carry on the Emperor's work should age or injury render her less effective a warrior.Furthermore, it is not unheard of for a senior member of the Sisterhood to transfer to another organisation entirely; several canonesses are known to have become Inquisitors, one a cardinal palatine and one even a Rogue Trader. |
Adepta Sororitas - Specialist Formations: Sororitas Command Squad - A Sororitas Command Squad is formed from the ranks of the elite Celestians, for only the most dedicated and distinguished Sisters of Battle are granted the privilege of forming their leader's bodyguard. Having earned their scars and proven their merit on scores of battlefields, the Celestians of a Sororitas Command Squad are often given the honour of carrying the sacred standard of the Order into battle, or of safeguarding a revered relic -- perhaps the bones of a long dead saint or an icon believed to have been touched by the Emperor himself -- during the course of a campaign. A Sororitas Command Squad may also be accompanied by Sisters from other, non-militant Orders, who act as advisors and specialists to the Canoness. These Sisters are commonly from the Orders Dialogus -- skilled orators whose amplified voices can embolden the spirits of nearby troops -- and the Orders Hospitaller. With her chirurgeon's tools, the medical ministrations from a Sister Hospitaller can staunch the bleeding from mortal wounds and purge many lethal poisons from a warrior's bloodstream, allowing a Battle Sister to return to the fray despite grievous injuries.Sisters Repentia - Confession and prayer are as much a part of a battle-sister's everyday existence as bolter drills and military discipline. Those who fall short of the Sisterhood's rigorous codes are subject to many punishments, but in the more serious of cases the transgressor may be exiled from their Order. These warriors, known as Sisters Repentia, are each cast out with only a handful of rags, a hood to cover their face and a ceremonial Eviscerator with which to strike down the Emperor's enemies. Sisters Repentia band together into groups that seek redemption in the fires of battle, and they are led to war by a Mistress of Repentance -- a harsh warrior who drives her charges onwards with a pair of Neural Whips. The Mistress judges each exiled Sister's deeds and occasionally, at battle's end, she may declare her sins atoned for. Although extremely rare, those few who return to the fold of their Order are held with great esteem by the Sisterhood. To the Adepta Sororitas, those who seek forgiveness in the Emperor's eyes by treading the path of a Sister Repentia occupy a state of grace that many aspire to, yet few ever attain. Indeed, some Battle Sisters willingly exile themselves, finding fault in the smallest imagined transgression in order to join the ranks of the Repentia. These Sisters are possessed of a righteous zeal that knows neither pain nor fear. They will die when the Emperor is ready to accept their souls, and not a moment before. These Sisters' maniacal fervour inevitably means that they martyr themselves fighting against the most hopeless odds, finding in death the absolution denied to them in life. |
Adepta Sororitas - Command Ranks: Abbess Sanctorum - The abbess sanctorum is the leader of the Convent Prioris on Terra; she is also the overall spiritual leader of the Sisterhood. In military matters she is assisted by the prioress of the Convent Sanctorum. In the centuries following the Age of Apostasy, Saint Alicia Dominica led the Adepta Sororitas as founder and overall patron. Her martyrdom at the hands of the heretics of Fridewide's World left a great void in the organisation, which experienced a temporary crisis as no leader felt they were able to adequately follow in Dominica's footsteps. Eventually, the Ecclesiarch Equitius XI intervened, and ordered the leaders of each Order to select one of their number to lead. After many weeks debate, the leaders agreed by majority that Sister Palmiro of the Order of the Holy Word was most suited to take up the rank of abbess sanctorum of the Adepta Sororitas. However, Sister Palmiro was an exceptionally humble woman, and declined to lead, stating that it was her intention to depart on a pilgrimage to San Leor, and that she had no desire for rank and privilege. After much debate, it was agreed that Sister Palmiro should complete her pilgrimage, but that she would take up the rank of abbess upon her return, and regard it as a welcome penance. Palmiro agreed to these terms, and after barely a standard century the tradition of electing the candidate who least desired the rank of abbess sanctorum to the post became commonplace, that she should regard it not as a privilege but as a penance, and that she should undertake a pilgrimage to San Leor before taking up the position. This tradition was maintained for most of four Terran millennia, until the election of Sister Sabrina of the Order of the Ermine Mantle. Unfortunately, Sabrina disappeared whilst on her pilgrimage, and never returned to Terra. The last sighting of Sabrina and her entourage was on the Ocean World of Habren IV, and though it is not known whether she fell prey to attack or some other misfortune, the sisters of the Order of the Ermine Mantle have embarked upon at least a dozen missions to locate her. Until she is found on her fate determined, Ecclesiarchal law dictates that the post of abbess sanctorum of the Adepta Sororitas must remain vacant.Prioress - A prioress is the overall leader of a single Convent of her Order; there are generally only two, the prioress of the Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII and the prioress of the Convent Prioris on Terra.Canoness - A canoness is an overall senior commanding officer of one of the Orders Militant, each a veteran warrior of many hundreds of battles who has risen to her position through a combination of strong leadership, shrewd tactical genius and sheer overarching faith in the Emperor. Though she is ostensibly answerable to the prioress of her Convent, a Canoness' superior knowledge of battle inevitably holds sway concerning military matters. There are several subdivisions of this rank, including:Canoness Superior - A canoness superior serves as the overall leader of an entire order.Canoness Preceptor - A canoness preceptor serves as the leader of a single preceptory of sisters.Canoness Commander - A canoness commander serves as the leader of a commandry.Palatine - A palatine is a junior officer rank utilised by the Adeptus Sororitas. Though not as senior in rank as a prioress or canoness, they are nevertheless experienced and fierce warriors who lead and inspire their fellow battle-sisters in combat. |
Adepta Sororitas - Standard Ranks: Legatine - The Legatine is among the highest-ranking sisters in any order of the Adepta Sororitas. The most skilled of warriors, healers and the greatest spiritual leaders the Sororitas possess, they inspire great devotion in those that follow them and are political powers in their own right in the Imperium. Most legatines go on to serve as a canoness preceptor, prioress or even the canoness superior of their order.Sister Superior - A sister superior is essentially a non-commissioned officer who leads a single squad of battle-sisters, and is thus equivalent to a Space Marine sergeant, though the ranks is used by sisters in Militant and non-militant Orders alike. This senior non-commissioned rank is held by battle-sisters of sister superior rank that have been singled out and nominated for the honour by their fellow sisters, recognising those who possess the ability to lead. Sisters superior are inspirational leaders, acting in the forefront of the Adepta Sororitas' work, demanding unflinching obedience to the Rule of the Sororitas and unwavering faith in their subordinates. They are often given command of forces on the battlefield, field hospitals in active war zones or particular missions of investigation, as the purpose of their individual Order or the Inquisitor they serve warrants.Sister - The lowest rank of the Adepta Sororitas; a sister has fully accepted the Rule of the Adepta Sororitas and taken her vows to the Emperor.Novitiate - A novitiate is a candidate for the Sisterhood who has simply to take her final vows to the Emperor to be recognised as a full sister.Cantus - By the time a novice sister reaches the rank of cantus she has mastered the fundamentals of her duties and may have already been chosen to serve within a particular Order, but the Adepta demand that each sister know the fundamental skills of all Orders so she can be a multi-purpose tool in the Emperor's hand -- to cure, learn, counsel or kill. It is as a cantus that she will train her hands in these skills before being assigned her final place in an order.Constantia - In the final stages of the noviciate, before they are raised to the full rank of sister adepta, the novice's learning encompasses the use of the Chamber Militant's sacredly ordained weaponry such as the bolter and resistance to the deceits of heresy. At this rank the sister confirms her complete devotion to the Imperial Creed.Novice - This is the lowest rank within the Adepta Sororitas. The Rule of the Orders is harsh and a novice sister must endure many hardships during her training. Self-denial, rigid discipline and religious contemplation are indivisible parts of their training. They are armed not only with skills needed to defend the Adeptus Ministorum but also with training that teaches them to fan the flames of their faith into a roaring blaze. |
Adepta Sororitas - Orders Militant Tactical Specialisations: Celestian - Celestians are battle-sisters who have proven themselves above and beyond the call of duty in their devotion to the Emperor during battle. The most experienced battle-sisters are granted the honorific of Celestian, marking them out as highly skilled veterans of hundreds of engagements and combats who often serve as bodyguard units for canonesses and palatines. Celestians are the equal of any other fighting force Humanity has to offer other than the transhuman Space Marines; they are greatly skilled, tactically experienced and resolute in their faith in the God-Emperor. The senior Celestians in an Order are called "Celestians Superior" and they aid the canoness superior with the day-to-day running of the order. They specifically act as administrative liaisons between the sisters superior of individual squads and the canoness, and may even lead battle-sisters into combat when the canoness is otherwise engaged.Seraphim - Only the very best battle-sisters are able to join the ranks of the Seraphim, the elite warriors of the Orders Militant. Seraphim receive special training and equipment and are the equivalent of Assault Space Marines. A Seraphim Squad is comprised of Sisters of Battle who are trained in using Jump Packs. They have the ability to fire two Bolt Pistols simultaneously, making them experts at close combat. Seraphim Squads are deployed as a fast attack squad with the Sisters of Battle. The squad can be accompanied by a sister superior. Occasionally Seraphim carry a pair of Hand Flamers (a single-hand version of the regular Flamer) or Inferno Pistols.Retributor - A Retributor is a standard battle-sister who is outfitted with their Order's heaviest weaponry. Believing that the Emperor Himself guides their aim, these sisters annihilate the Ecclesiarchy's foes with overwhelming firepower. Retributors are commonly armed with Heavy Bolters to provide long-ranged support to squads of battle-sisters, cutting down hordes of enemy infantry with a staggering rate of fire. However, in the close confines of urban warfare, or where the foe are wont to shelter behind armoured bulwarks, Retributors prefer to rely upon Heavy Flamers, unleashing searing infernos that burn their opponents out of cover and reduce them to charred corpses. Finally, completing the Holy Trinity of bolter, flamer, and melta weapon, Retributors are also adept at wielding deadly Multi-Meltas, whose roaring thermal blasts can reduce the mightiest of battle tanks into molten slag.Dominion - A Dominion is a standard battle-sister who utilises specialised weaponry such as Storm Bolters, Flamers, and Meltaguns. They are amongst their order's most aggressive warriors, driven by the need to destroy the Emperor's foes. Though their training has tempered the worse excess of their impetuosity, Dominions still yearn to fight at the fore of any Sororitas attack. As such the Orders Militant maintain several units who are almost solely comprised of such warriors. Dominion squads are the Sisters of Battle's shock troops and they are primarily tasked with leading the vanguard of Sororitas assaults, breaking through enemy front lines, destroying heavily defended fortifications and blunting the spearheads of any counter-attacks.Elohiem - As battle-sisters advance and gain both in skill and experience, they are granted the mark of the elohiem, meaning that they have willingly shed blood in the Emperor's service.Militant - The Sisters of the Orders Militant are the elite and merciless fighting arm of the Adeptus Ministorum and the Ordo Hereticus, and they are eternally vigilant and ceaselessly loyal to the Imperial Creed. This is the first rank earned by a battle-sister beyond the most basic after having begun combat operations with their Order.Battle-Sister - The battle-sister is the most basic rank of the Sisters of Battle achieved after a woman has completed her training as a novice, taken her vows to the Emperor and been assigned to a Militant Order.Sororitas Acolyte - Due to the close ties between the Ordo Hereticus and the Adepta Sororitas' Orders Militant, it is not uncommon practice for these sisters to serve the Inquisition as Acolytes for some part of their vocation. Sororitas chosen by their superiors for independent or detached service in this way are often among the most capable and self-sufficient of their noviciate class, deemed strong enough to endure the rigors and perils of such duty. These sisters often return to the Sororitas even firmer in their convictions and honed in their skills. Sororitas that survive long-term duties with the Inquisition are a very valuable asset for the Adepta in their war against heresy and faithlessness, and are often destined for future high rank. |
Adepta Sororitas - Orders Famulous and Dialogous Ranks: Nunciate Advance - The rank of nunciate or "messenger" is afforded to those among the Orders Famulous and Dialogous who excel not only in their crafts, but who are also noted for their skills in leadership and experience at dealing with the Imperium's hierarchy. Such individuals are often entrusted to act on their own to represent their Order, or are tasked as close advisors to highly important individuals such as Inquisitors and Imperial Commanders.Dialogus Advance - A dialogus advance is a rank of the Orders Dialogous, the sisters who focus their attention on the arts of the scholar, serving as translators and expert advisors for Imperial and planetary authorities in many fields. The armour of their faith makes them far less subject to petty corruption or hubris than others. The arts of the Dialogous are of obvious use to both the Adeptus Ministorum and, most particularly, the Ordos of the Inquisition, as they are expert at unlocking hidden codes and obscure references, dragging the faintest hint of heresy into the light.Famula Advance - A rank common to the sisters of the Orders Famulous, who devote themselves to diplomacy and the fine arts of negotiation. They are experts at dealing with the different Adepta of the Imperium and broker alliances and agreements between fractious power blocks, guilds and noble houses of many different Imperial worlds. Their primary goal is to preserve the Imperium's order and stability and ensure that those who rule or uphold the sinews of Imperial commerce are also working towards this goal. Their task, however, enables them to covertly monitor those they serve for signs of corruption or heresy. |
Adepta Sororitas - Orders Hospitaller Ranks: Almoness Advance - This is the senior-most rank of the Sisters Hospitaller. These sisters are as hardened to the horrors of the battlefield as any war veteran. Many of these experienced Hospitallers are called upon by both the Inquisition and the Astra Militarum to put their extensive skills and knowledge of medicae to darker ends in the service of the Imperium.Curia Advance - A senior rank of the sisters of the Orders Hospitaller. The Curia Advance has been forged in the crucible of war and catastrophe, honed by faith and discipline. These sisters' skills encompass not only the healer's arts, but also personal survival and the stewardship of those under their care in the harshest and most deadly of circumstances. These Hospitallers must know when to heal, when to give the final mercy and when to watch for the hidden enemy.Hospitaller Advance - A rank of the sisters of the Orders Hospitaller, who serve as physicians and offer palliative care at the frontlines of the Imperium's many war zones and disaster areas. To the common citizenry, they are saintly figures beyond reproach, but they are no more forgiving nor compassionate than the battle-sisters of the Orders Militant if confronted by heresy or the works of the Ruinous Powers. |
Adepta Sororitas - Recruitment: The majority of recruits into the Adepta Sororitas are drawn from the Schola Progenium, having been identified by the Drill Abbesses of those Imperial orphanages as suitable candidates from an early age.A few may be transferred from outside organisations, in particular the ranks of the servants of the Inquisition, although this is relatively unusual and only undertaken following lengthy consideration.Having been identified as a candidate for membership, the individual is shipped to one of the two primary convents on Terra or Ophelia VII, where she will be subjected to a lengthy and arduous regime of testing as a novice intended to gauge her suitability to join the Sisterhood and to identify which of the Orders she would be most suited to.Regardless of which Order she will eventually join, all novices undergo extensive instruction in the traditions of the Adepta Sororitas, and most receive at least a modicum of military instruction.Once a novice is judged worthy to join the Sisterhood, swear her vows to the Emperor and has completed her basic training, the candidates are gathered in the great hall of the convent before the canonesses and palatines of the Orders to which they will be assigned.Such gatherings range from grand ceremonies involving several thousand new sisters and taking several solar days and nights to conclude, to smaller events where only a handful of candidates gather in the great hall.One by one, the name of each candidate and the Order she will join is announced, and the newly elevated sister will be led off to begin her vocation.Once she is assigned to her Order, the sister will begin a period of even more rigorous training and indoctrination, which, it is said, will never end until she sits in death at the right hand of the Emperor. |
Adepta Sororitas - Orders Majoris: The famed Orders Militant or Sisters of Battle of the Adepta Sororitas pursue the ways of war to spread the Emperor's light.The Orders Militant are often tasked by the Ecclesiarchy with defending its Shrine and Cardinal Worlds or retaking such planets from Heretics, xenos or the blasphemous forces of Chaos. There are literally dozens of different Orders Militant, with their convents scattered across the galaxy.The Sisters of Battle are also often attached to the Ordo Hereticus of the Imperial Inquisition and indeed serve the Witch Hunters as their Chamber Militant. Battle-sisters are recruited solely from the female progena or graduates of the Schola Progenium facilities spread across the galaxy.They are the orphans of those Imperial servants who have given their lives in the service of the Imperium, either in the Astra Militarum or some other Imperial Adepta.While being raised within the Schola they receive a strong Ecclesiarchy upbringing and education, coming to regard the Emperor as their spiritual father. Progena recruited into the Sisterhood are indoctrinated even further with the strict orthodox doctrines of the Imperial Creed, becoming ever more fiercely devoted to the Emperor and the Imperial cause.Their duty as part of the Sisterhood is to ensure and enforce the physical and spiritual purity of Humanity and the departments of the Adeptus Terra.As they share much the same role within the Imperium as the Ordo Hereticus, battle-sisters often form a major part of Ordo Hereticus military forces when a Witch Hunter does not wish to commandeer the forces of the Astra Militarum into his or her service to carry out a military objective.There are six Orders Militant Majoris in the Adepta Sororitas that are widely recognised across the Imperium:Orders MilitantConvent Sanctorum (Ophelia VII)Convent Prioris (Terra)Order of the Bloody RoseOrder of the Sacred RoseOrder of Our Martyred LadyOrder of the Ebon ChaliceOrder of the Valorous HeartOrder of the Argent ShroudOther Sororitas Orders are not combat-oriented per se and pursue less violent activities such as the copying, study of and commentary upon the Imperial Creed's scriptures, preaching, tending to the sick and injured, educating the young and maintaining the spiritual loyalty and health of the Imperium's various powerful noble families.Orders Hospitaller - The sisters of the Orders Hospitaller aid the poor and heal the sick and the wounded in the many hospitals and clinics across the Imperium operated as charities by the Sisterhood. Some of their hospitals are part of Imperial Crusades and the sisters serve as medics for the Astra Militarum regiments serving in those conflicts. Several of the more well-known Orders Hospitaller include:Orders HospitallerConvent Sanctorum (Ophelia VII)Convent Prioris (Terra)Order of the Eternal CandleOrder of the Cleansing WaterOrder of SerenityOrder of the TorchNote: It is unknown which Convent the Order of the Quiet Sorrow belongs to.Orders Famulous - The sisters of the Orders Famulous organise, educate and maintain the households of certain Imperial Planetary Governors and Imperial nobles, serving as advisers and by their very presence reminding them of their higher loyalties to the Emperor of Mankind. They oppose any disloyalty with the support of faithful followers from the inside of the noble household itself. The Orders Famulous also maintain and update extensive genetic and genealogical records for all the important noble families of the Imperium and can conduct genetic testing at the request of the Inquisition when rampant mutation or heresy on the part of Imperial nobles is suspected. Across the galaxy, the most well-known of the Orders Famulous include:Orders FamulousConvent Sanctorum (Ophelia VII)Convent Prioris (Terra)Order of the KeyOrder of the Holy SealOrder of the GateOrder of the Sacred CoinOrders Dialogous - The Sisters of the Orders Dialogous help to translate the innumerable dialects and slangs of Low Gothic used throughout the Imperium. At the behest of the Inquisition and certain other parties in the Imperial hierarchy, they also study xenos languages, and translate texts obtained from xenos artefacts. Sisters Dialogous are often employed as Sage Acolytes in Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors' retinues. The better-known Orders Dialogous include:Orders DialogousConvent Sanctorum (Ophelia VII)Convent Prioris (Terra)Order of the Holy WordOrder of the Sacred OathOrder of the QuillOrder of the Lexicon |
Adepta Sororitas - Orders Minoris: Besides the more well-known militant Orders Majoris of the Adepta Sororitas there is also an unknown number of militant Orders Minoris whose functions are widely unknown. Since their inception, the Orders Militant Majoris have established a number of subsidiary convents throughout the galaxy at sites that are significant to the Ecclesiarchy.Sometimes little more than minor garrisons, some of these bases have developed identities distinct from their parent orders over time, eventually becoming separate orders all together. The better-known Orders Minoris include:Order of the Black Sepulchre - A Minor Order Militant with ties to the former Orpheus Sector.Order of the Bleeding Heart - This Minor Order Militant has long been entrusted with the care of the bones of Saint Emiline, upon the Adepta Sororitas Shrine World of Emiline's Hope.Order of the Blue Robe - This Minor Order Militant serves under the auspices of the Convent Sanctorum of Terra. The Order aided Inquisitor Halen Jentz during the Second Albonian Genocide.Order of the Crimson Oath - This Minor Order Militant took part in the initial campaign of the Achilus Crusade to reclaim the Jericho Reach in 777.M41 from both the xenos and the apostate.Order of the Crimson Tear - This Minor Order Militant is believed to have been destroyed in the Fall of the Tzadrekhan Unity.Order of the Divine Lamentation - This Minor Order Militant took part in the Imperial defence of the Cadian Sector from the forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade. Refused reinforcements despite suffering 83% losses.Order of the Ermine Mantle - This Minor Order Militant took part in the Imperial defence of the Cadian Sector from the forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade. It is currently undergoing a self-imposed penance after the loss of the Order Militant banner.Order of the Fiery Tear - This Minor Order Militant took part in the initial campaign of the Achilus Crusade to reclaim the Jericho Reach in 777.M41 from both the xenos and the apostate.Order of the Glowing Chalice - This Minor Order Militant are drawn from the Schola Progenium facility on Vedill I. They often fight alongside the Militarum Tempestus Storm Troopers of the 9th Iotan Gorgonnes Regiment, who also possess many members who originate from Vedill I.Order of the Golden Light - This is a Minor Order Militant of unknown origin.Order of the Maudlin Countenance - This Minor Order Militant took part in the Imperial defence against the forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade. Canoness-Preceptor Dorothea was commended for the Order's defence of the world of Sancho Panza.Order of the Silver Lily - This Minor Order Militant took part in the Imperial defence against the forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade. Canoness Astra was noted for her loyal service during the defence of the world of Subiaco Diablo.Order of the Silver Shroud - This is a Minor Order Militant of unknown origin.Order of the Sublime Adoration - This Minor Order Militant took part in the Imperial defence against the forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade. Rescued the 188th Cadian Imperial Guard Regiment at Crimson Fell.Order of the Virgin Rose - This is a Minor Order Militant of unknown origin.Order of the White Rose - This Minor Order Militant split from the Order of the Sacred Rose in the latter part of the 39th Millennium. At least one convent, on Periremunda, worked with the Ordo Hereticus on a regular basis. It is unclear whether other convents did the same. The entire Periremunda convent died in battle against the Tyranids, choosing death to atone for their assistance in the Excommunicate Traitoris ordered by Inquisitor Killian upon their world.Order of the Wounded Heart - This Minor Order Militant took part in the Imperial defence against the forces of Chaos during the 13th Black Crusade. Purged the Traitor Astra Militarum regiment the 366th Barissa Native Auxilia. |
Adepta Sororitas - Other Non-Militant Orders: There are scores, perhaps even hundreds more non-militant orders within the Adepta Sororitas, the vast majority of which are unknown to the bulk of Mankind. The following are only a few known examples:Orders Pronatus - These Orders Minoris specialise in retrieving, guarding, studying and repairing artefacts of value to the Ecclesiarchy. The named Orders Pronatus include:Order of the August Vigil - One of the Orders Pronatus, the Order of the August Vigil specializes in the guardianship and defence of holy relics and Shrine Worlds across the Imperium. They are known to occasionally cooperate with the Ordo Hereticus, especially in the transport of unholy artefacts and captured prisoners.Order of the Blessed Enquiry - One of the Orders Pronatus, believed to have been destroyed due to their collection of artefacts related to the Chaos Gods.Order of the Eternal Gate - One of the Orders Pronatus. Imperial records speak of the Order of the Eternal Gate whose responsibility is the retrieval of ancient or dangerous relics and artefacts for the Ecclesiarchy.Orders Madriga - The Orders Madriga provide the all-female choirs that fill the cathedrals with sublime, heavenly song in the favoured temples of Arch-cardinal Ignato.Orders Planxilium - The Orders Planxilium form thousand-strong processionals leading weeping and wailing pilgrims upon the remembrance and high holy days of Veneris.Orders Sabine - The Sisters of the Orders Sabine accompany the Missionaria Galaxia on missions to rediscover Human-settled worlds and to prepare them for re-integration into Imperial society and culture. These sisters specialise in infiltrating primitive societies and introducing elements of the Imperial Creed to the natives. This process can take generations as the sisters arrange royal marriages and act as court advisors. When the Missionaria Galaxia finally arrives on such a world the local leadership is then primed to accept the spread of the Imperial Cult without struggle or strife.Orders Vespila - The "dark sisters" of the Orders Vespila are tasked by Cardinal Kregory Hestor with the sanctification of the bodies of fallen kin, and are sometimes called upon to serve as forensic specialists when a Throne Agent has recourse to disinter a long-dead corpse. Cardinal Hestor petitioned the Orders Hospitaller to populate this Order within the Calixis Sector. Tasked with the internment of bodies, the Orders Vespila's grey shrouded ceremonial robes are synonymous with the death of priests. It is unknown why Cardinal Hestor felt it so important to be certain that the bodies of the faithful were properly buried, but rumours abound that he has secret knowledge of a prophecy regarding a long-dead saint. When an Inquisitor needs the sisters' macabre skills he calls upon the Ecclesiarchy to provide him with the graveyard guards of the Orders Vespila. |
Adepta Sororitas - Notable Sisters of Battle: Saint Alicia Dominica - Patron Saint of the Sisterhood, Bearer of the Grail of Ages, Founder of the Order of the Ebon Chalice, Alicia Dominica is revered throughout the Imperium as both the founder and patron saint of all the Orders of the Adepta Sororitas. In the 36th Millennium, she ended High Lord Goge Vandire's Reign of Blood after condemning him for his crimes against the Emperor and beheading him. Shortly after, under the instruction of the newly appointed reformist Ecclesiarch Sebastian Thor, Dominica established the Sisterhood -- the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, with the Sisters divided between the Convents on Terra and Ophelia VII. She herself became the first Canoness of the Order of the Ebon Chalice. In 650.M36, Alicia Dominica fell at the Battle of Frideswide's World, surviving hundreds of blows but falling to a single Traitor's lasgun blast to her heart. She was declared a saint of the Imperial Creed soon after.Saint Arabella - Saint Arabella is the patron saint of the Order of the Sacred Rose. Although this long-dead martyr never led her Order in battle, it was founded in her name. She was one of five companions of Alicia Dominica, the patron saint and founder of the Adepta Sororitas. She was the last of the surviving six Sisters to enter the Emperor's Throne Room when they were brought before him for a personal audience during the Reign of Blood in the 36th Millennium by the Adeptus Custodes. Arabella disappeared in the late 36th Millennium shortly after the death of Saint Mina -- her ultimate fate remains unknownSaint Katherine - Saint Katherine is the patron saint of the Order of Our Martyred Lady. Originally, she was the founder of the Order of the Fiery Heart. She was one of five companions of Alicia Dominica, the patron saint and founder of the Adepta Sororitas. Known as the Shield Bearer, Katherine was regarded as Alicia Dominica's second-in-command and was the bearer of Dominica's Praesidium Protectiva -- a large shield said to contain a shard of the Emperor's own personal Power Armour, which is said to be impervious to physical attacks. Katherine was well-known for her fiery determination and vengeful spirit, ever leading her Sisters at the forefront of innumerable battles and pursuing the prosecution of numerous Wars of Faith against Heretics in the name of the Emperor of Mankind. She was the founder of the Order of the Fiery Heart. Her Sisters came to reflect her vengeful and fiery nature. Leading her Order for many decades, she was declared a Living Saint within her lifetime for performing legendary acts. Eventually, Katherine met her end at the hands of evil men, when she was murdered by the Witch-Cult of Mnestteus. So deeply did her Sisters mourn Katherine's loss that they renamed their Order the Order of Our Martyred Lady. Unknown to her Order, sometime before her untimely death, Saint Katherine visited the world of Sanctus Lys in the Palatine Sector. Beneath a shrine, in a hidden crypt, she interred her golden Power Armour and her legendary Power Sword, the Ardent Blade. These powerful artefacts were found centuries later and retrieved by the Living Saint, Saint Celestine.Saint Lucia - Lucia was the youngest of the five companions of Alicia Dominica, the founder and patron of the Adepta Sororitas. Lucia went on to become the founder of the Order of the Valorous Heart. In the late 36th Millennium, Saint Lucia was captured by recidivists, who gouged out her eyes and forced her to endure the death screams of a thousand innocents, and the murder of a number of her own Sisters, who remained resolutely silent. Mere days after word of her death reached the Holy Synod, Lucia was canonised as an Imperial Saint.Saint Mina - Saint Mina is the patron saint of the Order of the Bloody Rose. Although this long-dead martyr never led her Order in battle, it was founded in her name. She was one of the five companions of Alicia Dominica, the patron and founder of the Adepta Sororitas. In the late 36th Millennium, Saint Mina was martyred by a sanguinary Chaos Cult whilst at prayer in a shrine on Hydraphur. When her body was found along with the shrine, she was surrounded by the corpses of twenty of her attackers -- her body covered in their blood. Her personal symbol, the red rose, represents her strong character and her final death.Saint Silvana - Silvana is the patron saint and founder of the Order of the Argent Shroud. She was one of five companions of Alicia Dominica, the patron saint and founder of the Adepta Sororitas. She was one of the first Sisters to lead Holy Crusades in the name of the Emperor of Mankind. In the late 36th Millennium, Silvana met her fate at the hands of a Death Cult Assassin. Her remains disappeared whilst lying in state at the Convent Prioris. She was declared an Imperial Saint by the unanimous vote of the Holy Synod of the Ecclesiarchy.Saint Anais - Anais was a Living Saint that fought in the War of Faith in the Kaurava System. Saint Anais was placed by Confessor Turgenum March alongside the Order of the Sacred Rose in the defence of the Order's primary bastion in the Sama District, on the planet of Kaurava I. When in battle, Saint Anais was imbued with the "Inviolable Aura" -- a powerful psychic aura which rendered every Battle-Sister in her presence nigh invincible. However, this gift had one flaw, for if the holy shrines used in the blessing of this powerful aura were to be destroyed, the Inviolable Aura could be rendered impotent. This could make even the Living Saint subject to mortal wounds and allow her to be slain.Saint Celestine - Very little is known of the life of the Battle-Sister known as Celestine before she was declared a Living Saint, other than that she was once a Sister Repentia of the Order of Our Martyred Lady that fought alongside the multitudes of Imperial faithful during the protracted war against the Heretics of the Palatine Schism. Celestine was at the forefront of the first wave of the deadliest fighting and was thought to have been killed in battle before the capital city of the planet Eurytion. She fell that day, alongside every other Repentia, but despite her defeat, it was said that she accounted for the deaths of over one hundred schismatics during the assault. As Celestine's body was reclaimed by her Sisters and set amongst the honoured dead, her Sisters saw that life still lingered within her, and the light of one touched by the divine will of the Emperor glowed within her eyes. Cleansing her body of the blood and filth of battle, the Sisters were astonished to find that she stood flawless before them. The next day the assault resumed, with Celestine at the head of the Imperial forces. The Heretics fell within hours as Celestine wreaked her bloody vengeance. She was hailed as the Crusade's figurehead as the entire Sector was scoured of schismatics and those deemed unworthy of existing upon the worlds of humanity. The Crusade's leader, Lord Ansgar, believed the Crusade would reach its conclusion on the capital world of the Palatine Sector, but Celestine insisted upon first liberating the small backwater planet of Sanctus Lys. Unknown to all but her, the world was home to the Shrine of Saint Katherine of the Order of the Fiery Heart, a holy place visited by that Living Saint in secret just before her death. Celestine's followers found a broken altar amidst some ruins and were ordered by Celestine to remove it. Beneath the shattered remains, a hidden crypt was found. Barring any from following her, Celestine descended the dusty steps that none had trod in millennia. As the dawn of first light broke above the ruined shrine, Celestine rose from the tomb, borne aloft on a column of divine radiance and attended by cherubs and doves. She was now clad in a suit of shining golden Power Armour, and wielded a vibrant blade that none could look upon -- the Ardent Blade of Saint Katherine. Celestine was declared a Living Saint by Lord Ansgar and a conclave of Thorian compatriots shortly thereafter. Saint Celestine was hailed as the Hieromartyr of the Palatine Crusade, as she dispatched thousands of Heretics during the prosecution of multiple Wars of Faith. The veneration by the Sisters of Battle was miraculous; she was a Living Saint, whom the Sisters would follow even unto the very center of the Eye of Terror. Alas, Saint Celestine was lost to the Imperium whilst fighting the Renegade Warmaster of Forrax. Many believed she perished during her moment of triumph, yet none survived to give a true account of the battle's conclusion.Saint Praxedes - Saint Praxedes of Ophelia VII was the Canoness of the Order of Our Martyred Lady at the start of the Second Tyrannic War. With a force of Battle-Sisters she reinforced the Caladenian Imperial Guard on the Cardinal World of Okassis. As the Tyranids assaulted the Cardinal Palace, she led her Battle-Sisters and a company of Guardsmen in a gallant counter-attack. Leading from the front of the fighting, she bested a Hive Tyrant and broke the Tyranid attack, buying the thousands of refugees fleeing from the conflict the time needed to evacuate the planet. Not content with this success, the Canoness pressed deep into the heart of the Tyranid swarms, leading her small army in a guerrilla war against the armies of the Hive Mind. The disruption and havoc she wreaked seriously weakened the Tyranid attack on the spaceport, saving even more lives. As the last of the shuttles soared into orbit and safety, all contact was lost with her army. She was the first Martyr to the Kraken and her name is revered all across the Ultima Segmentum. Some claim that she yet lives, fighting on against the dreaded hordes of the Tyranids from within their swarms.Ephrael Stern - Known as the Thrice-Born and the Daemonifuge, Ephrael Stern had been promised by her parents before her birth to the Adepta Sororitas. She was raised on the planet Antigone's Harbour by the Saint Sabbat Schola Progenium. The Arch Drill-Abbot of the school submitted the young Ephrael for induction within the Sisterhood and was accepted by Sister Patricia from the Order of the Holy Seal. The Novice Stern excelled at her new monastic duties as a Battle-Sister-in-training. She eventually completed her training and along with 500 other Novices took her sacred Oaths of Adherence at the Ecclesiarchal Palace on Terra. Sister Stern was then chosen to become a member of the Order of Our Martyred Lady. Shortly after her induction into the Order, she was sent to the Ecclesiarchy Cardinal World of Ophelia VII. Whilst stationed there, her exemplary service record helped elevate her to the esteemed ranks of the Order Seraphim within record time. Only three years later she would be ordained as a Sister Superior. Sister Stern was eventually sent on a mission on behalf of the Order, to investigate a lost convent of Sisters of the Orders Pronatus on the world of Parnis. There, Stern and her Sisters discovered what had become of their fellow Sisters. A powerful Greater Daemon of Slaanesh, a Keeper of Secrets named Asteroth, had been freed from its bonds and destroyed the convent. He then took the ruined bodies of 700 Battle-Sisters and forged them, body and mind, into a terrifying construct of living flesh known as the Screaming Cage. Though the fallen Sisters were forced to share their torment and suffering, the daemon failed to take into account that they were also able to inadvertently share their faith as well. As the daemon sought to kill the remaining Sisters sent to investigate the convent, Ephrael Stern fell in battle. Seizing this one chance, the fallen Sisters within the Screaming Cage used their combined powers to bring her back to life -- filling her with the full might of their combined faith in the God-Emperor to combat the forces of Chaos. Once returned to life, the resurrected Stern was told to flee as the fallen Sisters hid her presence from the daemon and its Chaotic servants. Stern's memory of these events was erased. She was the only one who managed to return to her Order on Ophelia VII, being the sole survivor of the expedition to Parnis, her sanity stretched to the limit. Her seemingly unnatural power made her the object of suspicion amongst members of her Order, with many of her Sisters viewing her as having been corrupted by the Ruinous Powers. Stern was placed within a holding cell for four years until her exact nature could be determined. At this time she was attacked by a Sister who was being controlled by a daemon of Slaanesh intending to silence her. But the enraged Ephrael managed to defeat her attacker with her bare hands. This set new events into motion. An Inquisitorial investigation, under the command of Inquisitor Silas Hand, was sent to the Order on Ophelia VII to investigate the sole survivor of the Parnis Expedition. Whilst at the Sanctorum, Stern underwent numerous trials to test her purity and her soul for corruption. Not found wanting during these trials, Sister Stern was declared uncorrupted, was reinstated within the ranks of her fellow Battle-Sisters, and granted her former position of Seraphim and rank of Sister Superior. Inquisitor Hand, not fully trusting Sister Stern, nevertheless took her with him to investigate the former convent on Parnis. During the investigation the fallen Sisters of the Screaming Cage finished their holy work -- pouring all of their remaining knowledge and power into Sister Stern to fight the corruption of Chaos. Inquisitor Hand sacrificed himself to defeat Asteroth and banish the daemon back to the Warp. Sister Stern went missing after this second expedition, once again being the sole survivor. Hunted by both the Imperium as well as the forces of Chaos, Stern remains aloof from both. She even sacrificed herself, stabbing herself in the heart, to escape the foul machinations of the vile Chaos Sorcerer Ahriman of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion. Resurrected once again by the power of the faith within her, Stern finally embraced her power and used it freely for the first time. She has even been able to use her newfound abilities to defeat a Culexus Assassin that had been sent to kill her by the Inquisition. Her current whereabouts remain unknownHelena the Virtuous - Raised from infancy in an Ophelian Schola Progenium, Helena proved to be remarkably gifted even during her earliest childhood. Exceptionally intelligent, eloquent and inquisitive, she was destined to become a high authority in whatever vocation she chose. After thirty years' service in the Order of the Key, Helena had risen to the position of Canoness and was responsible for a great increase in the power of the Ecclesiarchy. Her efforts did not go unnoticed and when the Prioress of the Convent Sanctorum died, Helena's was the first name on the Ecclesiarch's lips to serve as her replacement. Although Helena's duties are mainly of an organisational and spiritual nature, she has always possessed the gift of involving herself personally at the right moment. As a Prioress, Helena is a member of all the Orders of the Adepta Sororitas, including the Orders Militant. Although she lacks the lifelong training of one of the Sisters of Battle, it has been known for Helena to personally intervene in combat when necessary. With her own strict regime of training and exercise, she keeps her ageing body in the best condition possible and she is very skilled in the theories of battle. Helena's greatest asset is the holiness and serenity she radiates. Her presence has an underlying strength which reassures others and imbues her followers with an undying love and respect. Combined with her encyclopedic knowledge and shining charisma, these qualities make Helena a truly great battlefield commander, administrator and politician. |
Adepta Sororitas - Wargear: The primary individual weapon of the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas is the Boltgun. Weapon specialists like Dominions and Retributors tend to use flame and heat-based weapons such as Flamers and Multi-meltas, and other weapons with a purifying spiritual effect. Battle-Sisters use a form of modified Power Armour in battle -- however, since they lack the Black Carapace gene-seed organ implant of the Space Marines, they cannot interface with the armour to the same degree as the Astartes and thus are somewhat less mobile in combat. The Sisters of Battle also make use of very strong faith-based powers in battle, which may or may not be related to the psychic powers of the Warp. The Sisters believe these abilities are granted by the divine will of the Emperor himself, though they are more likely the psychic manifestations of the Sisters' incredible faith and devotion to him, as the Immaterium is shaped by belief. The most common wargear worn by all Sisters of Battle includes:Sororitas Power Armour - Commissioned by Goge Vandire, it is the only part of his legacy that was not removed along with his head. Created initially by the forges on Mars for the Adepta Sororitas, this lighter power armour provides excellent protection and increased strength with little to no reduction in movement speed or agility. Similar to the light power armour often used by many Inquisitors, the Sororitas Power Armour has an extended operating life. Sisters of Battle do not have the advanced Black Carapace of the Adeptus Astartes, however, the Sisters are trained to use their power armour to its fullest.Hospitaller Carapace Armour - Often serving in combat zones, Sisters Hospitaller require more protection than other Non-militant Orders. The distinctive armour is a welcome sight to injured guardsmen and Acolytes alike, an angel of mercy sent by the God-Emperor himself. In addition to its protective qualities, the hooded habit is often coated in incense and unguents and the rest of the armour is sealed and treated against toxins.Bolt PistolGodwyn-De'az Pattern Bolter - Designed specifically for the Adepta Sororitas, and blessed by the Canonesses of the Orders, these venerated weapons are presented to an Adepta Sororitas upon becoming a Battle Sister. The Sisterhood considers the venerated Godwyn-De'az bolt weapons heirlooms; each one carefully maintained by highly specialized servitors and trusted servants. This pattern bolter has great significance to the Adepta Sororitas, not only as a powerful weapon against the enemies of mankind, but also as a symbol of the Emperor's judgement and of the sisters personal connection to her faith.Frag GrenadesKrak Grenades |
Adepta Sororitas - Special Issue Wargear: Blessed Standard - The standards of the Adepta Sororitas are thrice blessed by the prioress of their convent before they march to war.Chaplet-Ecclesiasticus - With each bead on the string representative of an act of penance performed by a Sister, the Chaplet Ecclesiasticus is often worn around the neck or waist depending on its length and preference of the wearer. In some cases each bead represents ten or even more acts of penance going as high as a thousand acts per bead. The Chaplet is combat ready, each bead made of adamantium.Chirurgeon's Tools - Implements of both torture and salvation, the chirurgeon's tools can restore the fallen so that they might fight once more.Fleur De Lys Tattoo - Devoted to the Ecclesiarchy in mind and body, the Adepta Sororitas often bear tattoos, ritual scaring or other markings that display their loyalty. The Fleur De Lys is a symbol of the Sisterhood but a Sister might also bear markings of the Ecclesiarchy or the Inquisition. In addition roses, wings or other Order-specific icons might be chosen by a Sister.Laud Hailer - Proclaiming the power of the Emperor in heavenly tones, a Laud Hailer bolsters the spirits of the faithful.Praesidium Protectiva - Constructed from layers of armaplas and ceramite, these shields are said to contain small fragments of armour originally worn by the Emperor. They are only found among the Adepta Sororitas, and even then are only issued to those Sisters who excel (and prefer to engage in) hand-to-hand combat. Due to the weight of the Praesidium Protectiva, it can only be used by a Sister wearing Sororitas Power Armour.Rosarius - A Rosarius is a gorget or amulet worn by some members of the Ecclesiarchy to protect them from physical and spiritual harm. It is believed that the stronger the bearer's belief in the might of the Emperor, the stronger the rosarius' force field will be.Simulacrum Imperialis - Some of the most precious artefacts in the possession of the Holy Ordos, Simulacrum Imperialis are holy symbols of the Ecclesiarchy that were once borne by a Saint of the Imperium, or have been fashioned from the bones of a Saint. Brought out only rarely, usually when the forces of heresy and the warp are at their worst, a Simulacrum Imperialis is often carried at the forefront of an Adepta Sororitas battle group. Considered one of the purest symbols of the Ecclesiarchy and the might of faith in the God-Emperor, the mere sight of Simulacrum Imperialis is often sufficient to raise the spirit and fighting zeal of any nearby allies. These holy symbols are wellsprings of inspiration and faith and it is a great honour to carry such an irreplaceable relic into battle.Storm Shield - A storm shield is a large, solid shield that has an energy field generator built into it. Though the bulk of the shield offers physical protection, the energy field is capable of deflecting even the most powerful attacks. |
Adepta Sororitas - Melee Weapons: ChainswordNeural Whip - These psycho-conductive neural whips are often carried by Mistresses of Repentance and are as much symbols of rank as they are vicious weapons that can slice open armour and flesh alike.Power WeaponsEviscerator - An obscenely large double-handed Chain Weapon that is favoured by Ecclesiarchy zealots, Witch-Hunters, and the Sister Repentia of the Adepta Sororitas. Although very unwieldy and tiring to use, the Eviscerator is fully capable of bisecting an armoured man or tearing open the most blasphemously corrupted mutant in a single stroke of its gargantuan blade. It can slice through walls and even damage vehicles. Since it must be wielded with both hands it cannot be used in combination with another close combat weapon. |
Adepta Sororitas - Ranged Weapons: AutogunShotgunCondemnor Boltgun - The Condemnor Boltgun is a highly specialised combi-weapon used almost exclusively by the operatives of the Ordo Hereticus and Adepta Sororitas. Combining a boltgun with a single-shot crossbow armature, these archaic seeming weapons fire a silver stake engraved with sigils of disruption that destabilise a psyker's connection with the Warp.Godwyn-De'az Storm Bolter - The Storm Bolter used by servants of the Ecclesiarchy are not drastically unlike those used by throne agents. Firing bolt rounds at a greatly increased rate of fire, this weapon requires two hands to operate and is essentially two bolters firing in synchronised bursts. Its high rate of ammunition consumption makes the weapon impractical in many situations but few would argue with the results that such a powerful symbol of faith can have.Combi-Flamer, -Melta or -PlasmaPlasma PistolSeraphim Inferno Pistol - The deadly Inferno Pistol can burn through even the most fortified of structures or armour. It is well known that if one weapon will do, two will do twice as well. The Seraphim Inferno Pistols are designed to work as a pair and can be used while in hand-to-hand combat by specially trained Seraphim.Exorcist Missile Launcher - Though notoriously unreliable, the Exorcist Missile Launcher's volleys are considered by many to be the Adeptus Ministorum's final word in anti-armour firepower. |
Adepta Sororitas - Special Weapons: Storm BolterSeraphim Hand Flamer - Designed for use in pairs, Seraphim Hand Flamers can spew forth gouts of fl ame from both pistols at once. In addition the hand flamers are designed to be used in melee combat and can release small controlled bursts of flame that use negligible amounts of Promethium. The weapon can be used both as a ranged weapon and a melee weapon by those who are properly trained.MeltagunMelta Bombs |
Adepta Sororitas - Heavy Weapons: Heavy BolterHeavy FlamerMulti-Melta |
Adepta Sororitas - Gear & Tools: Hospitaller Medicae Tools - The Order Hospitaller equips its Sisters with the best battlefield medicine tools found outside the Apothecaries of the Adeptus Astartes. The kit has a variety of sacred oils, unguents, surgical tools, and sterilisers to help those who lay wounded in battle.Reliquary - Reliquaries come in a myriad of forms, such as boxes, caskets, and cases. They are used to contain relics, charms, or holographic images of actual relics.Rules of Sororitas - A collection treatises, litanies and assorted holy directives.Sarissa - These are heavy spiked blades the Sororitas often attach to their bolters in order to allow them to engage in hand-to-hand combat without switching weapons. When mounted on a bolter, a sarissa counts as an axe in close combat.Seraphim Jump Pack - More streamlined and stylised, this jump pack is based off the same technology as those used by the Space Marines. The design has the added effect of giving the Adepta Sororitas the appearance of avenging angelic hosts. The aggressive use of them by the Sororitas has made that design work tremendously well. Aside from the normal usage, an alternate tactic, seen in the re-consecrating of Pilgrims' Pause, was as a lateral boost to redeploy Seraphim strike teams while staying behind cover. |
Adepta Sororitas - Adepta Sororitas Vehicles: Sororitas Rhino - The Rhino personnel carrier is the most common transport vehicle at the disposal of the Sisters of Battle, allowing units to move swiftly to where they are most needed, be it to seize an objective or strike deep into the heart of an enemy force. This tried and tested vehicle is famously robust, easy to repair and utilised extensively by the Imperium's most elite fighting forces such as the Adeptus Astartes and the Adepta Sororitas. The Rhino is fully capable of interacting with power armour, recharging power cells and downloading tactical battle information as troops are transported into the thick of battle. Rhinos, like all Sisters of Battle vehicles, are bedecked with holy symbols and relics in addition to military insignia denoting squad and Order markings. The door hatches of the Order's Rhinos are often emblazoned with the Sigil Sororitas -- the icon of the Sisters of Battle.Immolator - The Immolator battle tank is a design exclusive to the Adeptus Ministorum, based upon the ubiquitous Rhino chassis. Immolators carry deadly, but short ranged, twin heavy flamers that cleanse the battlefield of all but the toughest of foes. The sight of such a tank rumbling into sight has disrupted more than one enemy battle line as warriors try in vain to evade an Immolator's fearsome inferno. Sisters of Battle favour bolters, flamers and meltas to eradicate their enemies -- the so-called "holy trinity" of weapons. As a result, some Immolators are armed with a pair of tank-busting multi-meltas instead of the traditional heavy flamers, whilst others mount heavy bolters to cut down enemy infantry formations at range. Immolators are tactically versatile vehicles and the tank of choice for many Sororitas commanders, for in addition to their prodigious armaments, their armoured hulls can carry squads of Battle Sisters, deploying them onto vital objectives and then supporting them with heavy weapons fire.Exorcist - An Exorcist is one of the Adepta Sororitas' unique weapons of war, a vehicle that unleashes volleys of explosive, armour-piercing judgement upon the foes of the Imperium. They are, however, unpredictable machines that are only vaguely understood by the Tech-Priests who must continuously service them. Many Exorcists have been in service since the Age of Apostasy, further adding to their erratic nature. The Exorcist missiles fired by these revered vehicles are capable of splitting open enemy battle tanks or destroying entire squads of heavy infantry in one punishing salvo, provided, of course, that the Exorcist's temperamental machine spirit does not malfunction. Most vehicles in the Sisters of Battle's armoury serve multiple purposes, for in addition to being weapons of war, they are mobile shrines adorned with devotional icons and carvings. The Exorcist is perhaps the most ornate example of this. Each is an individual work of art whose battlefield role of providing devastating long-range fire support is secondary to its significance as a potent, divine symbol of the power and glory of the Ecclesiarchy.Penitent Engine - Penitent Engines are towering, bipedal vehicles that rampage through the enemy's battle lines, leaving death and carnage in their wake. The machines' arm-mounted flamers blaze a trail of fiery destruction as they thunder towards their foes, and their gigantic, razor-edged buzz saws carve through armour, flesh and bone with every frenzied swipe. To be a pilot of a Penitent Engine is to have committed a terrible crime, one so heinous that punishment such as imprisonment, exile, arco-flagellation or execution is deemed too lenient. Many of the unfortunates sentenced to pilot a Penitent Engine were once members of the Ecclesiarchy -- priests fallen from grace or Battle Sisters who have, through failure of duty or faith, caused the deaths of their fellows. A multitude of wires and chemical injectors are implanted into the condemned pilots' spines, and when they are not ripping through the ranks of their enemies, lances of pain and images of guilt shoot directly into their brains, reminding them of their sins. Driven by their pilots' frantic need for forgiveness, Penitent Engines charge towards the closest foe in sight heedless of any danger, knowing that only in death -- theirs or the enemy's -- can forgiveness finally be earned. Penitent Engines often charge into battle beside the ranks of the Orders Militant. The Sisters of Battle consider it their sacred duty to witness these great machines in the fires of combat, observing the actions of their fallen brothers and sisters as they atone for past sins and seek redemption. |
Adepta Sororitas - Ecclesiarchy Relics: Ecclesiarchy Relics are items of incredible rarity, holy artefacts and revered tools of destruction that the Ecclesiarchy will go to any lengths to recover and protect. Such is their spiritual provenance that they are powerful weapons in the hands of the faithful, and in extreme circumstances they will be entrusted to the warriors of the Adeptus Ministorum. Only one each of the following relics can be chosen per army:Blade of Admonition - This blessed power sword is the very blade carried into battle by Alicia Dominica -- the founding saint of the Adepta Sororitas -- and was famously used to cut the head from the arch-traitor Goge Vandire and bring an end to the Reign of Blood. Saint Dominica wielded this blade in the decades following the reformation of the Ecclesiarchy, and a thousand more false prophets and heretics were slain upon its razor edge before Alicia's eventual martydom. The silver blade was recovered and polished to a mirror finish, and it is said that one who looks upon it can see the reflection of their own soul. Those who wield the sword cannot therefore fail to compare their worthiness to that of Saint Dominica and so strive to emulate her peerless example.Cloak of Saint Aspira - Canoness Saint Aspira of the Order of the Bloody Rose led her Battle Sisters in a War of Faith that liberated nearly one hundred worlds from the grip of the blasphemous tyrant Denescura. At the inception of the war, Aspira was presented with a magnificent cloak blessed in the Ecclesiarchal Palaces of Terra. Whilst this in itself marked the cloak as a treasured relic, small shards of the Emperor’s own armour were woven into it to ward away the blows of the enemy, elevating it to a sacred garment of incomparable spiritual significance. Saint Aspira wore the cloak throughout the War of Faith, striding into the fray heedless of her own safety, secure in her unwavering knowledge that the Emperor protects.Mantle of Ophelia - The Mantle of Ophelia was once the badge of office for the Prioress of the Convent Sanctorum and was worn by Helena the Virtuous, a Living Saint and one of the most revered leaders in the history of the Adepta Sororitas. The mantle is thought to have sacred powers of protection, for Helena was said to have anointed it with the Tears of the Emperor, a phial of blood-like liquid meticulously collected over a century from weeping statues of the Emperor found across the Cardinal Worlds of the Imperium.Sacred Banner of the Order Militant - Each of the six great Orders Militant possesses a single ancient battle banner passed down through the generations from the time when their Order was first created. It is said that several strands of hair taken from each of the Order's founding saints are woven into these sacred banners, and as such their divine provenance is beyond doubt. Each banner represents the heritage and history of their respective Orders and the honour of carrying one is granted only to the most faithful and accomplished members of the Sisterhood. They are proudly borne to war, and the Battle Sisters who fight beneath their shadow are inspired to greater feats of glory, redoubling their efforts and refusing to retreat.Rod of Grace - The Rod of Grace is a melee weapon, similar to a Space Marine Chaplain's Crozius Arcanum, and wielded by Helena the Virtuous in battle. The Rod of Grace is covered with a shimmering force field. However, this field is much more powerful and can be focused into a beam to strike at a distance.Sceptre of Vengeance - The Sceptre of Vengeance was the huge, heavy power mace wielded by Saint Ophelia in hand-to-hand combat. Its head is wreathed in a shimmering flame which leaves a trail of fiery sparks as it swings through the air. |
Adepta Sororitas - Canon Conflicts: Until the release of Warhammer 40,000 2nd Edition's Codex: Sisters of Battle, the Convent Sanctorum was described as being on Terra, with the Convent Prioris on Ophelia IV. In the 2nd Edition Codex, Gav Thorpe reverses the locations of the Convents; he also changed the name of Ophelia IV to Ophelia VII.The following statement comes from the Codex: Sisters of Battle (2nd Edition): "A sign of the Sisters' strength is the fact that in their entire history only a single Sister, Miriael Sabathiel, has fallen to the lure of Chaos. How Miriael fell is unknown, only that she was turned from the Emperor's light to Slaanesh worship, and now serves as one of the Prince of Chaos' greatest warriors."However this is clearly contradicted by the graphic novel, Daemonifuge, in which a Sister was seduced by a Navigator (who had been corrupted by a daemonic servant of Slaanesh) and several Sisters were completely corrupted by a Keeper of Secrets, a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh. In the novel Cain's Last Stand, it is also stated that an entire Mission of Sisters were seen engaging Imperial forces alongside Chaos Cultists and Cain was also confronted by two Sisters under daemonic influence. Those Sisters, however, were suffering from mind control and when these two were freed, they immediately killed themselves. |
Adepta Sororitas - Sources: Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), "Force Dispositions" (Chart), pg. 16Codex: Grey Knights (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 86Codex Imperialis (1st Edition), pp. 14, 39Codex: Militarum Tempestus (6th Edition), pg. 29Codex: Necrons (3rd Edition), pp. 5, 146Codex: Sisters of Battle (2nd Edition)Codex: Tau (3rd Edition), pp. 56–57Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pp. 10-11, 18-19, 27, 29, 34-36, 46-47, 52-55, 58-59, 65Dark Heresy: Blood of Martyrs (RPG), pp. 23, 77-78, 92-97Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook (RPG)Deathwatch: Core Rulebook (RPG), pg. 339Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition, pg. 231Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus, pp. 21-22Shield of Baal: Exterminatus (7th Edition), pp. 80-85The Inquisition (Background Book), pp. 64-65The 13th Black Crusade (Background Book), "Roll of Honour", pg. 90White Dwarf 381 (UK), "Codex: Sisters of Battle (5th Edition) Part 2," pp. 82-93White Dwarf 380 (UK),"Codex: Sisters of Battle (5th Edition) Part 1," pp. 90-103White Dwarf 293 (UK), "The Liber Sororitas", by Andy Hoare, pp. 52-57White Dwarf 269 (UK), "Index Astartes: Armoured Personnel Carrier," pg. 12White Dwarf 254 (UK), "Tactica: Sisters of Battle," by Matthew Sprange, pp. 44-47White Dwarf 232 (UK), "Chapter Approved: Sacred Rites," by Gav Thorpe, pg. 74White Dwarf 218 (UK), "Massacre at Sanctuary 101," by Rick Priestley, pp. 28-37White Dwarf 213 (UK), "Battle Report: Sisters of Battle - Battle Scenarios," by Andy Kettlewell, pp. 83-95White Dwarf 211 (UK), "Sisters of Battle," by Gav Thorpe, pp. 49-56Daemonifuge (Graphic Novel Series)Dawn of War: Ascension (Novel) by C.S. GotoCrossfire (Novel) by Matthew Farrer, pg. 258Duty Calls (Novel) by Sandy MitchellExecution Hour (Novel) by Gordon Rennie, pg. 146Faith & Fire (Novel) by James SwallowHammer and Anvil (Novel) by James SwallowLegion of the Damned (Novel) by Rob SandersLegacy (Novel) by Matthew Farrer, pg. 203Shroud of Night (Novel) by Andy ClarkSons of the Hydra (Novel) by Rob SandersOur Martyred Lady (Audio Drama) by Gav Thorpe, Part 1: Troublesome PriestsRed and Black (Audio Book) by James SwallowDawn of War - Soulstorm (PC Game) |
Adepts - Adepts: Adepts, adepta or adeptus is the formal title given to the individual Imperial servants of the various departments of the Adeptus Terra that serve the will of the beneficent Emperor. These titles are used by everyone in the service of the Emperor as part of the Imperial service, from high-ranking officials to lowly scribes.It is a great honour to serve the God-Emperor in any capacity and these titles are much respected. Space Marines and Imperial Commanders are entitled to use the honorific "Adeptus" (Adeptus Astartes, Adeptus Administratum, Adeptus Ministorum, etc.), as are highborn senior Astra Militarum officers. On Terra and those worlds controlled by the Imperium of Man, the title "adept" is used for those officials of the Adeptus Terra, primarily the members of the Administratum, who oversee the day-to-day operations of the Imperial bureaucracy.Those non-specialised workers and labourers, who may be shifted from job-to-job as required, are known instead as "menials." These often destitute men and women serve as transport drivers, labourers, sanitisers and in other non-skilled but labour-intensive occupations. Menials are recruited from the population of non-adepts, but take the title of adept themselves. They are very proud of this honour, and will bear almost any indignity to make sure they keep it."Adepta" is the feminised version of the title adept in High Gothic form. This formal title is exclusively used by the all-female monastic orders of the Adepta Sororitas, which includes both the Sororitas' Orders Majoris and Orders Minoris.The title "tech-adept" is the similar and analogous title utilised by the Tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus when dealing formally with the rest of the Imperial bureaucracy. |
Adeptus Administratum - Adeptus Administratum: The Adeptus Administratum, often referred to simply as the Administratum, and originally called the Imperial Administration at the time of the Horus Heresy, is the primary administrative and bureaucratic division of the Adeptus Terra, the heart of the gigantic bureaucracy that controls the government of the Imperium of Man, consisting of untold billions of clerks, scribes and administrative staff constantly working to manage the Imperium at every level, from assembling war fleets to levying taxes.It is the largest of the departments comprising the Adeptus Terra, and billions of Administratum adepts work in the Imperial Palace complex on Terra alone. Its billions of officials on Holy Terra and throughout the galaxy are constantly carrying out population censuses, working out Imperial Tithes, recording and archiving information, and the million other things that are necessary for the running of the Imperium.Such is its immense size, that whole departments of the Administratum have been submerged by a sea of complex bureaucracy, becoming lost in loops of paper trails. Other departments have continued to dogmatically operate and carry out their founding function, even if the intent and requirement behind them no longer even exists. |
Adeptus Administratum - Origins: The Adeptus Administratum was originally created by the Emperor of Mankind as the Imperial Administration, the first bureaucracy for the newborn Imperium of Man, during the closing days of the Great Crusade, following the Ullanor Crusade of 000.M30.The Imperial Administration was placed under the control of the Regent of Terra, Malcador the Sigillite, who was titled with the esteemed rank of Chief of the Imperial Administration, and is recognised in the 41st Millennium as the first Master of the Administratum.As the single largest part of the Adeptus Terra, the bureaucrats of the Imperial Administration were to be responsible for the assessment of tithes, the distribution of resources, and essentially every administrative function the Imperium required to operate.Today, uncountable and ever-changing quantities of offices, departments and divisions deal with almost every facet of maintaining a galaxy-spanning empire of a million Human-settled worlds, and every sector, world and citizen is subject to their scrutiny and intervention.Within the Imperium, the agents of the Administratum are an innumerable and ever-present facet of interstellar commerce and politics, with the largest concentrations found on worlds with a particularly high military presence, high tithe requirements, or large-scale commerce. In particular, extensive Administratum offices on more developed worlds house hundreds of thousands of archivists, ordinates and prefects, who scrutinise sector-level operations with a keen eye and unwavering adherence to ancient doctrine.Typically, the Administratum takes little direct action in regards to matters of law or violations of it within the Adeptus Terra, as such matters are the concern of the Adeptus Arbites. However, the attention to detail that characterises much of the work of the Administratum often discovers criminal acts where they would otherwise go unnoticed, detecting pirates from reports of missing ships and locating smugglers from incongruous audits and tithe manifests.In situations such as these, the Administratum tends to hand matters over to another Imperial adepta so that appropriate action can be taken. Even once others are involved, the Administratum continues to observe, ensuring that everything happens by the book and as efficiently as possible.By virtue of wider necessity, even at the sector scale, the Administratum enacts collective decisions that will affect millions, even billions of people every solar day. Such actions are arrived at by a simple and utterly impersonal process of procedure, precedent, tradition, and cold calculation based on long-established criteria -- heedless of the level of suffering or upheaval that they will cause at a local level.Likewise, the absolute importance the Administratum places on the minutiae of its nightmarishly complex bureaucratic system and the strict adherence to regulations, forms, protocols, and due process, can itself be the source of great friction and dissatisfaction at all levels of Imperial society.Worse still can occur when error creeps into the system, such as when the consequences of inaccuracy, lost data, or simple Human incompetence manifest themselves. Though exceedingly rare, it is quite possible for the Administratum to simply "lose a world" thanks to administrative error, condemning it to isolation and privation, or wrongly apply a Tithe Grade and thus render a world an asset-stripped wasteland. It might even misfile a request for emergency aid, which consequently arrives standard years, even centuries, too late. The trouble that such errors can inflict on a personal level are not hard to imagine; indeed, many individuals have had their records mangled, lost, or misregistered. For such unfortunates, unless very powerful, the consequences can be as shattering as they are impossible to rectify.Of course, the lack of personal enmity involved in the Administratum's actions means little to those who may find their lives turned upside down, their families suddenly displaced or shunted wholesale to a strange world, their protections removed, their property seized, or themselves simply left to starve.As a result, the Administratum is both hated and feared by all strata of Imperial society. Many, even in the other Imperial adepta, find them hidebound, petty, and obstructive. It is quite possible that through its work, the Administratum will breed bitterness and discontent that can explode into outright rebellion or provide an opening for darker forces to gain purchase.The Administratum is also a shockingly parochial organisation, its adepts blindly ignorant of the nature of the world around them and naive of its many pitfalls and dangers. This naivete in itself can leave the Administratum's myriad local offices and workers vulnerable to individual canker, deception, and infiltration, and in any organisation where Human greed, ambition, vanity, and hubris may be found, worse still can bloom.Ironically, the organisation's greatest defence against corruption is its own vast complexity and inertia. This makes it woefully difficult to derail or subvert in any widespread or meaningful way. If a thousand adepts have to be purged simply to ensure the accuracy of a particular tithe-repository's records, so be it. For the Administratum, nothing, not even the lives of its servants, is personal. |
Adeptus Administratum - Factionalism and Internal Strife: Any complex system that relies heavily on the use of rigid dogma and protocol is subject to interpretation, and differences in such interpretation can lead to schism and discord. The Administratum is no exception to this.Petty bickering, internal politics, and departmental rivalries can all cause problems within the Administratum, both on the larger and local scales, although the organisation is often at pains to never let such disputes show to outsiders.While these minor disputes rarely amount to much in the grand scheme of things, their aftereffects can have wider ramifications, like the ripples spreading from a stone dropped into a still pool. |
Adeptus Administratum - Purpose: Of all the Imperium's governmental divisions within the Adeptus Terra, the Administratum is regarded as the least prestigious, but its high-ranking members are ironically among the most powerful people in the galaxy. If the Adeptus Terra is the machinery that drives the Imperium, the Administratum is the grease and oil that ensures this machinery operates. Without the Administratum, the machine would splutter to a halt and the Imperium would fail. As a result, the Master of the Administratum is in actuality the most politically powerful member of the High Lords of Terra.Many Administratum positions are considered hereditary. Typical Administratum adepts labour within gargantuan vaults, sitting at logic-engines and cogitator workstations. They can be considered quite learned by Imperial standards. Like other non-combatant servants of the Adeptus Terra, the members of the Administratum wear a monastic style of dress, their habits varying in colour according to their rank within the adeptus and their area of responsibility. The basic colour worn by the lowliest scribe is black; higher-ranking members have increasingly lighter shades of grey, and eventually pure white.While the Administratum is primarily responsible for all logistical operations related to the civil aspects of the Imperium, the division of the Administratum known as the Departmento Munitorum is responsible for the logistics of the Astra Militarum, organising military tithes, materiel supplies, troop movements and troop deployment. The Departmento is far more decentralised than the other divisions of the Administratum, establishing a presence on any world with a significant tithe-grade.Distress calls from an invaded world are processed by the Departmento Munitorum, and will be passed up the ladder of bureaucratic command: star system to sub-sector command to sector command to Segmentum Command and eventually, in the most important cases, to the Senatorum Imperialis itself until one of them with enough resources, authority and responsibility can deploy the needed reinforcements. |
Adeptus Administratum - Notable Divisions of the Administratum: The largest organisation of the Adeptus Terra, the Adeptus Administratum is itself divided into many branches. The great majority of its constituents have no concept of how their work fits into any overall scheme, or even that they are part of the same bureaucracy.Comprised of innumerable divisions and offices it is unlikely that any one person, even the Master of the Administratum themselves, has an idea of how many divisions exist within the monstrous Administratum. Their work is an end in itself and the single most important factor in the lives of Administratum adepts.It is enough to perform the task assigned; understanding is neither required, nor welcome. It is said by the soldiers of the Astra Militarum that for each soldier there are a dozen scribes and at least two minor officials toiling, recording petty details that no one will use or consider. Most of the divisions of the Administratum are petty and of little interest. Notable divisions of the Administratum include:Departmento Munitorum - The Departmento Munitorum, also called the Adeptus Munitorum, is a department or sub-division of the Adeptus Administratum devoted to the general administration, personnel assignment, supply and logistics of the Astra Militarum. The Munitorum has ultimate responsibility for the raising of new Imperial Guard regiments, the training of new Imperial Guard troops, the provision of equipment and supplies to all regiments in the field, and the transportation of troops and equipment to and from theatres of war using the vessels of the Navis Imperialis. It is primarily a logistical organisation, like the larger Administratum of which it is a part, but while the wider Administratum deals with the civilian logistics of running the entire Imperium of Man, the Munitorum deals solely with the military logistics necessary to fight and win the Imperium's wars on behalf of all branches of the Imperial armed forces.Departmento Exacta - The Departmento Exacta is the sub-division of the Adeptus Administratum tasked with the recovery of the Exacta, the second most important Imperial Tithe after that of the Departmento Munitorum, which determines what civilian strategic resources a world may possess that can benefit the wider economy of the Imperium. The Departmento Exacta has a well-deserved reputation for mercilessness and is able to command the invasion of a world should its criteria for the expected fulfillment of that planet's Exacta not be met to the exact specifications of their data.The Estate Imperium - The Estate Imperium is a division of the Administratum described as "...the million-strong records office of the Administratum." Presumably its purpose is to keep the records of Imperial adepta and furnish them when they are called for by the relevant arms of the Adeptus Terra. The division's head carries the title of Chancellor of the Estate Imperium. The Estate Imperium's importance is such that its leader sometimes holds a position in the Senatorum Imperialis of the High Lords of Terra.Historical Revision Unit - The Historical Revision Unit is another one of the myriad bureaucratic departments of the Administratum, whose adepts are the indentured servants and servitors known as "historitors" who work within the Imperial Palace. Their job is to revise subversive records of Imperial history into versions that are more reverent towards the Emperor and the version of Imperial history that most glorifies His name. The "Historicus" is the title of the unit's chief adept. One of the important duties of the Historical Revision Unit is seeking out historical records and, if need be, destroying them when ordered to do so by their superiors in the Administratum. Specially designated units of the Historical Revision Unit known as "Deletions Teams" carry out this function. Their most common duty is performing the vital task known as an Edict of Obliteration -- the deliberate destruction of any vital records or historical documents pertaining to an individual or organisation that has been declared Excommunicate Traitoris by the Emperor of Mankind, the High Lords of Terra or the Inquisition. The Historical Revision Unit's mission may now be threatened by the creation of the Logos Historica Verita by the resurrected primarch Roboute Guilliman in the Era Indomitus, who has once more taken up the roles of lord commander of the Imperium and Imperial Regent.Officio Medicae - The Officio Medicae is the primary arm of the Administratum that deals with public health and biomedical-related issues in the Imperium, operating government-run medical facilities throughout the galaxy and on many Imperial worlds. In addition, they seem to oversee the management and quarantine of worlds or groups afflicted by plagues, such as those created and spread by Nurgle, the Chaos God of disease and despair. Like much of the Administratum, it is plagued by bureaucracy and irrelevant procedure.Logis Strategos - The Logis Strategos is the primary intelligence-gathering and analysis agency of the Administratum. Its primary function is to analyze the myriad of threats to the Imperium presented by xenos and the forces of Chaos and devise suitable strategies to counteract them, which are then passed on to the Departmento Munitorum and the High Lords of Terra for action.Logos Historica Verita - The Logos Historica Verita is a small Imperial organisation dedicated to recovering a full and accurate accounting of the history of Mankind unmarred by religious superstition or political bias. It was created in the Era Indomitus of the 41st Millennium by Roboute Guilliman, the lord commander of the Imperium, Imperial Regent and primarch of the Ultramarines Chapter, some time after his resurrection in ca. 999.M41. It was the primarch's intent to make a full and accurate accounting of the Imperium of Man's fragmentary and often contradictory history, the truth of which would inevitably help Humanity's advancement out of the darkness that had befallen it in the millennia after the Horus Heresy. For this task, Guilliman utilised individuals of an inquisitive and more liberal nature, and after training them personally in objective methods of data collection, assigned them the daunting task of discovering, collating and cataloging thousands of standard years of Human history that had been lost or was woefully inaccurate due to superstition, suppression or purposeful obfuscation by the High Lords of Terra.Munitorum Strategic Intelligence Collective - The Munitorum Strategic Intelligence Collective is a secret arm of the Administratum that is composed of senior Ordo Xenos Inquisitors, Magos Biologis Genetors and other xenobiologists of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is their primary mission to compile biological and logistical data on the Tyranids to determine their weaknesses and devise suitable counter-measures to future hive fleet invasions. These secretive reports are sent directly to the High Lords of Terra themselves. Their analysis of all the details of the Tyranid invasions suffered by the Imperium in the years before the Era Indomitus has seen them draw a startling conclusion as stark as it is terrifying: the hive fleets faced by the Imperium to date are but parts of a far greater whole, and this whole will be arriving at the Imperium's borders within less than a standard century. They estimate that Imperial mobilisation levels will need to be increased by a minimum of 500% -- which would effectively include every able-bodied man, woman and child on every world in Segmentums Solar, Obscurus and Tempestus -- to have even a hope of stopping this dire threat.Tithes Chamber Notaries, sub. Planetary Census (Abhumans) - The Tithes Chamber Notaries, sub. Planetary Census (Abhuman) is a sub-division of the Adeptus Administratum that oversees the classification and recognition of stable and sanctioned Abhuman strains within the Imperium. Of these, forty-six types are now listed as extinct, and no records have been received of a further twelve strains for over a generation, suggesting that they too have died out or been assimilated back into the general population of Mankind. The status of the remaining fifteen Abhuman sub-species is quite varied and there is permanent disagreement about their specific classification amongst the adepts of the Tithes Chamber Notaries. The most noteworthy and contentious matter currently concerning the adepts is the Ogryn (Homo sapiens gigantus) matrix of Abhuman strains.Divisio Auditae - Unique to the Administratum of the Calixis Sector is the Divisio Auditae, which oversees matters of significant interest to the Administratum from incorrect tithes to the adjudication of Warrants of Trade granted to Imperial merchants and Rogue Traders in the sector. The Divisio Auditae was established in the early 8th century of the 41st Millennium, created as one of the first acts of the Lord Calixis Marius Hax, and it reports directly to Hax himself and to its superiors in the Administratum.Quaestors - Known more commonly (but unofficially) as quaestors, these auditors of the Divisio Auditae are empowered to travel the Calixis Sector and demand access to all records of any planetary government or organisation they come across; only the most powerful of individuals can deny a quaestor's demands, though even these few exceptions try Sector Lord Hax's patience. Anything they discover that seems worthy of attention is reported, to be acted upon by other agents of Lord Hax or other Imperial agents as deemed appropriate. Under the command of Prefect Salassar Aoghan Annovestes, a minor functionary from Sephris Secundus elevated through the ranks of the Administratum, the ranks of the Divisio Auditae have swollen to include over 6,000 separate quaestors. Each possesses the freedom to move and investigate whatever and wherever they see fit, much to the consternation of the Inquisition, planetary governors, and Rogue Traders who see such freedom of remit for an official who is essentially a bureaucrat as dangerous and intrusive into matters better left in other hands. |
Adeptus Administratum - Notable Ranks and Titles of the Administratum: There are countless ranks and titles used within the Administratum; this system of nomenclature is also used within the Adeptus Terra as a whole. Some examples include:Master of the Administratum - The Master of the Administration is the titular head of the adepta, who sits on the Senatorum Imperialis as one of the High Lords of Terra.Adeptus (or Adept) - An Adept is the title of all members of the Adeptus Terra, from the highest-ranking to the most petty of functionaries.Prefectus (or Prefect) - Prefect is a title used by Administratum officers and senior officials.Master - Master is a title used by Administratum departmental heads.Ordinate - Ordinate is a title used by minor administrative officials.Curator - Curator is a title used by Administratum adepts who maintain the ancient records of the Imperium; the rank also requires associated historical and linguistic knowledge and is therefore considered somewhat prestigious.Scribe - Scribe is a title used by the lowly functionaries of the Administratum responsible for keeping records.Historitor - A historitor is an adept of the Administratum tasked with writing, maintaining, altering and sometimes deleting the historical records of the Imperium. Before the Era Indomitus historitors were primarily employed by the Administratum in its Historical Revision Unit. After his resurrection, Primarch Roboute Guilliman trained a new corps of historitors in proper, evidence-based historical methods following the creation of his new organisation focused on historical truth, the Logos Historica Verita. The historitors of the Logos Historica Verita work at direct cross-purposes to the traditional duties of the Historical Revision Unit, as they seek to tell only the true history of Humanity in the Age of the Imperium, not to obscure, revise or destroy it for political purposes as was long the practice of the Administratum and the Inquisition.Cipher - Cipher is a title used by a special form of Imperial messengers for information that cannot be trusted to astropaths; they memorise dictation with a single scan, repeating it verbatim when they reach their destination; they have no knowledge of the messages they carry.Menial - Menial is a title used by lowly, non-specialised but free workers recruited from the non-adept population of the Imperium, they serve essentially as the Administratum's janitors and mechanics in maintaing the adepta's day-to-day functions at its facilities across the galaxy.Subordinate - Subordinate is a title used by the hereditary slaves of the Adeptus Terra who serve as engineers and craftsmen, as well as in unskilled occupations as basic labourers, often aside servitors. |
Adeptus Administratum - Adeptus Administratum and the Inquisition: The Administratum is by far the single largest organ of the Adeptus Terra. Untold billions of scribes, factors, bureaucrats and clerks manage the business of the Imperium at every level, upon every world.The Administratum has an interest in every aspect of the running of the Imperium, from the collection of planetary tithes to the proper distribution of resources. Therefore, it is only to be expected that an Inquisitor crosses paths with any one of these functionaries in the course of their duties.The main resource the Administratum controls, and which the Inquisition often requires access to, is information. It is said that nothing occurs in the Imperium that is not at some point recorded by an Administratum scribe, catalogued, filed, copied in quadruplet, processed in one of the Adeptus' vast datamills and, perhaps many standard centuries later, archived.Each phase in this process might take solar months, even standard years to accomplish, dependent upon the perceived relevance of the information. Unfortunately, the individuals that determine the relevance do so entirely according to their own set of values, often more concerned with the niceties of data-retrieval systems than with any external consideration. Thus, an incorrectly phrased request for military aid might be returned to its sender to be completed again, while that sender's entire world falls to alien invasion in the meantime.Despite the staggering inefficiencies of the Administratum, the Inquisition does have great use of its resources. The key to a successful investigation involving the Administratum is to bypass or cut through as much of the red tape as possible. This is supposedly what the Inquisitorial Rosette is intended to facilitate, although many officious scribes treat it more as an annoyance than the Sword of Damocles it truly represents should they stand in the way of the bearer's duties.Once they have access to the vast reservoirs of data the Administratum maintains, an Inquisitor can filter through millennia of information in the search for patterns indicating the actions of their enemies. Few Inquisitors have the ability or indeed the inclination to undertake such searches themselves however, and most utilise the skills of sages among their retinues of Acolytes to mine the data for the information they require.As with most other Imperial organisations, the Inquisition has had cause to investigate various bodies within the Administratum. At times, entire divisions have been accused of inefficiency on such a vast scale that a particularly Puritan Inquisitor has decided to execute many thousands of bureaucrats for their crimes against Humanity.At other times, the activities of a given bureau or department have become corrupted, concealing treachery and criminality. Corruption for personal gain, such as the diverting of resources to a local black market is perhaps the least of concerns, for the extent of the Administratum's control can lead to entire worlds being lost to the Imperium, falling instead into the hands of the Emperor's enemies without a single shot being fired. |
Adeptus Arbites - Adeptus Arbites: The Adeptus Arbites is the adepta of the Adeptus Terra that serves as the galactic police force of the Imperium of Man, responsible for enforcing Imperial Law (the Lex Imperialis) on all Imperial-controlled worlds. The Adeptus Arbites have been granted the right by the High Lords of Terra to serve as judge, jury and executioner for any Imperial citizen they discover having broken Imperial Law. Unfortunately for many Imperial citizens, the concept of due process is not one that generally applies in the Imperium.However, in those cases where Imperial Law is unclear or the law breaker has committed a truly heinous deed or is of unusually high-ranking stature, the offended will be taken back to an Arbites Precinct House for judgement by an Arbites Judge, the sentence to be carried out immediately. Imperial justice is swift and sure, but not always just.Only through a constant watch and the execution of often brutal laws can the Imperium survive, and it is the Adeptus Arbites who carry out this function. While the armies of the Astra Militarum struggle to hold back the aggression of alien empires and protect the worlds of Mankind from without, the Adeptus Arbites roots out rebels, recidivists, and threats to the stability of the Imperium from within.The men and women of the Arbites operate as they see fit, using their greater training and weaponry to tackle foes that might be beyond the scope of local Enforcers, or in many cases to deal with a planetary government which has itself become corrupted. Remorseless and single-minded, Arbitrators do not forgive or forget any crime against Imperial Law, and pursue their quarry relentlessly until the Emperor's justice has been served.The laws of the Imperium of Man are a complex web of tradition, obligation, and local custom. Thus, they can vary from world to world or sector to sector, with each planetary governor, local prefect, or headman pronouncing their own laws. Arbitrators care little for such trivialities, and enforce the serious crimes against the Imperium while leaving such petty matters to local officials. Murder or theft, for example, are considered inconsequential unless they affect the interests of the wider Imperium directly, are perpetrated against Imperial officials, or somehow fundamentally threaten a world's security or safety and thus its ability to pay its Imperial Tithe.Arbitrators have little pity or compassion for the transgressions of Imperial citizens. Years of dealing with the scum of the galaxy has made many of them cynical and bitter. Others have become religious zealots, seeing the God-Emperor's divine hand in the letter of the law and only death is deserved for those who would break it.A few might maintain idealistic notions for bringing order and justice to the Imperium, but the realities of endless, sometimes horrific crimes constantly erode such notions. The arrival of an Arbitrator patrol is seldom welcome among an Imperial world's people, given the brutal way in which they operate during their investigations, arrests, and executions, even though it might mean an end to vicious criminal enterprises or corrupt Imperial or planetary officials.Arbitrators must deal with ineffectual or corrupt local and planetary government agencies. These are often an Arbitrator's greatest foes as they must clean up a local situation, taking over the Enforcers of a hive city, orbital void station, or even an entire planet to purge it of crime and corruption in a series of bloody and unforgiving sweeps.On Imperial worlds the Adeptus Arbites are the last, most absolute law, answering only to their commanders and the Judges of star systems and entire sectors, and not to local authorities. It is a thankless task, for the anonymous, helmeted Arbitrator usually only receives fear and hatred from their fellow citizens as a reward for their actions.The members of the Adeptus Arbites are the final bulwark against heretical uprisings and other major threats. Their precinct-fortress is often the last bastion of Imperial rule during revolutions or invasions, holding out to the very end whilst alerting outside Imperial agencies and adepta of the dire situation. Each Arbitrator knows that should they fall, so follows the planet. To merely survive in such a hostile environment, Arbitrators must show no hesitation, regret, or compassion for those they protect, and they must consider every citizen guilty until they are proven innocent.The Adeptus Arbites face a monumental task to enforce the law across countless Imperial worlds. Those that take the oaths, don the Carapace Armour, and take Shock Maul in hand are often obsessive and pitiless individuals, who see the law as an extension of the Emperor's will upon His subjects, and its enforcement their sacred duty. Whether they are skilled in combat or possessed of a keen mind, an Arbitrator knows they face an implacable and remorseless foe, one which they must counter with all the talents at their command.To be part of this adepta is to be apart from one's surroundings, for after training in the Schola Progenium, Arbitrators are never assigned to the world of their birth. They are beyond local authorities, serving none but higher Imperial Law. Once a man or woman puts on the distinctive dark armour of an Arbitrator they stop being merely Human, and are now a representative of the greater Imperium upon a world, there to ensure planetary compliance with Imperial Law.Arbitrators are always active with investigations and enforcement, for crime never sleeps. The surrounding populace overwhelmingly outnumbers them, so it is essential to detect and crush crime before it grows too strong. On many worlds, Arbitrators bring massive firepower to bear at the slightest hint of resistance, often reacting to crimes before they occur, and preemptively arresting citizens who are "at risk" of becoming criminals.Skilled Arbitrators are masters of urban conflict and crowd control, with a natural understanding of Imperial societies and the nature of places such as the packed hab-blocks of an overpopulated Hive World or the savage villages of a Feral World, each requiring their own special tactics to police.Arbitrators often tap local vox-networks, develop networks of spies and informants, and even infiltrate any suspect organisations to snare the lawless in surgical strikes where their superior weaponry and training can prevail over larger forces. Such investigations require long solar hours of dedicated detective work, patience, and cunning to root out actual violations of Imperial Law against the myriad other offences against lesser law enforcement authorities.Arbitrators' lives are often at risk, and not just from their criminal quarry. During the course of an investigation all manner of things might come to light, including the secrets of powerful individuals in a planetary government. In these cases an Arbitrator can face more danger from supposedly loyal allies than the scum they are pursuing. |
Adeptus Arbites - History: Throughout the million worlds of the Imperium of Man, crime is rife. Not just the petty crimes of individuals for personal gain, but organised crime on a scale never even considered in Humanity's past.Entire sub-sectors and planets have been in the thrall of illegal cartels and criminal organisations. There are even wayward planetary governors who shun the Imperium and treat their dominion as their own paltry fiefdom, claiming the planet's natural resources, labour and riches for their own.In these dire situations it falls to the Adeptus Arbites to defend the Imperium's rights and prevent whole sub-sectors going rogue for generations, or even permanently. The Adeptus Arbites is not a galactic police force; it has little interest in petty crimes such as theft, murder or tax evasion, for these fall under the responsibility of the local planetary enforcement cadres. The Adeptus Arbites is there to keep order on a far greater scale, to root out corruption, maintain the Imperial Tithe and to guard against witchery.From the Adeptus Arbites come the fearsome Arbitrators. Also sometimes incorrectly known as "Judges" amongst the general populace of the Imperium (this term actually refers to a specific Arbites rank), these men and women are stoic in their duty and unquestionably loyal to the Imperium. Inquisitors often go to the Adeptus Arbites when in need of a trustworthy Acolyte who is trained to think on their feet, combat-hardened and beyond reproach in their faith in the God-Emperor.Arbitrators are infamous for their prodigious stamina and zeal, and their ability to survive all manner of wounds and punishment in the quest to catch their quarry. Arbitrators are resolute and fearless. They demand utter obedience from the citizens they come into contact with.Where civil unrest and crime threaten the stability of a world, the Arbitrators are in the field: unflinching, ordering the local Enforcers, and hunting down the rabble-rousers to restore law and order.The Judges' methods are varied, not unlike the way Inquisitors go about their work. The means used can be different depending on their mentors, what Schola Progenium the individual attended and other such factors. However, unlike Inquisitors who have their own private agendas, all members of the Adeptus Arbites have the same goal and responsibility -- to uphold the Emperor's justice.Some Arbitrators openly investigate and make no secret who their quarry is, even if they are of noble birth or high rank. This can often lead to overt hostility between the Judge and his subject, although there is no question who off-world forces of the Imperium would side with should they be requested to attend.This is by no means the only mode of investigation; other officers of the Adeptus Arbites are quite methodical in their approach, meticulously sourcing evidence and questioning contacts and witnesses.The relationship between the Inquisition and the Adeptus Arbites is often one of the more cordial within the Adeptus Terra. Arbitrators often see working with Inquisitors as a way of further enforcing justice.However, such arrangements have not always worked so well. It has been known for Judges to turn on the Inquisitors they have been seconded to serve if they perceive the Inquisitor to have broken sacrosanct Imperial laws. This means Inquisitors of the more Radical factions must be wary when recruiting members of the Adeptus Arbites to become their Acolytes. |
Adeptus Arbites - Notable Arbites Actions: Pavonis (Unknown Date.M41) - During the workers' riots on Pavonis, the entire Adeptus Arbites force stationed at the planetary governor's palace was destroyed (save one who had been tasked by Inquisitor Ario Barzano with the personal protection of the governor), but only after holding out for several solar hours and fighting a rearguard action in the secret palace tunnels. They succeeded in destroying Pavonis' largest weaponry and munitions cache, denying its supplies to the traitorous Planetary Defence Force legions.Ichar IV (ca.992.M41) - During the beginning of Hive Fleet Kraken's approach, rioting began to consume planets near the southeastern fringe of the Imperium. Inquisitor Agmar investigated these strange riots for signs of treasonous thoughts or heretical influence. On Ichar IV, a religious fundamentalist group called the Brotherhood was the cause of the rioting. Although they preached a faith like that of the Imperial Cult, they refused to obey Imperial commands or pay their tithe. Soon after this act of defiance they started instigating riots among the masses. While trying to break up one such riot, the Arbitrators of the planet were quickly surrounded by what seemed to be mobs organized from the complete population of the planet. When the local Planetary Defence Force regiment was called to help, it was quickly made apparent that they, too, had sided with the rebel mobs. After the assassination of the planetary governor, the Brotherhood established itself as the sole controlling force on Ichar IV. Inquisitor Agmar arrived on Ichar a few weeks after the outbreak of rebellion and on the same day that the Arbites precinct fortress in the capital, Lomas, was finally overrun. The Arbitrators were not defeated and most of their number escaped along a secret tunnel and captured the city's four main power generators. Inquisitor Agmar led assaults on the capital, but he was unable to rescue the Arbitrators who were overrun just six days after his arrival. With their final act, they destroyed the city's power generators. Because of the destruction of the city's power grid, the Ultramarines (who arrived just 39 days later) were able to retake the planet. It was later revealed that the Brotherhood was controlled by Genestealers.Typhos Prime (Unknown Date.M41) - As a Tyranid hive fleet approached the Typhon Sector, the Inquisitor Oriel of the Ordo Xenos released a Genestealer into the Astra Militarum fortress city of Coritanorum on the sector's capital world of Typhos Prime in an attempt to find ways of defeating the approaching Great Devourer. The predictable result was a rebellion against Imperial authority by the resulting Genestealer Cult established within the Typhos Supreme Guard, the world's Planetary Defence Force, and the outbreak of civil war. To deal with the rebellion, the local Typhos Adeptus Arbites greatly increased their patrols and locked down many of the surrounding cities. The world's leadership called in the forces of the Astra Militarum's Mordian Iron Guard to put down the rebellion while the local Commissariat took command of the Arbitrators for the two standard years that the civil war raged. Ultimately, the rebellion was put down after Oriel called in the Astra Militarum's 13th Penal Legion who successfully disabled the reactor coolant systems of Coritanorum, leading to the fortress' destruction. It was then that the evidence of Oriel's complicity in the original rebellion was discovered. As a result, Oriel was not allowed to evacuate with the 13th Penal Legion and was killed in the explosion of Coritanorum. |
Adeptus Arbites - Role: While every advanced Imperial planet has its own local planetary police forces colloquially known as Enforcers and its own local laws, the Arbites are responsible for enforcing the broader laws of the Imperium, the Lex Imperia, ensuring Imperial planetary governors do not plot against the Emperor's rule, and that all Imperial laws and decrees are followed.The enforcement of a planet's local laws is not the concern of the Adeptus Arbites. These are left to the local law enforcement agencies. The Adeptus Arbites also serves to keep planetary governors in check; if an Imperial governor decides to skip their Imperial Tithes for a standard year or ignore requests for troops from an embattled neighbour or the Administratum itself, one glance at the armoured fortress-precinct house of the Adeptus Arbites is usually more than enough to make him or her reconsider. |
Adeptus Arbites - Duties and Powers: Although the adepta's headquarters is the Hall of Judgement on Terra, the Arbitrators are stationed on almost every advanced Imperial world in fortified fortress-precincts. Arbitrators are recruited from the Adeptus Ministorum's Schola Progenium facilities (the Ecclesiarchy's schools for the orphans of Imperial servants who have given their lives in the Emperor's service) across the Imperium.In the event of a planet-wide collapse of Imperial control, the Arbites can decree martial law and take control until a suitable military command can be established, generally under an Astra Militarum force. Even in circumstances that are not as extreme, Arbitrators have legal power over most of the people in the Imperium.They are authorized to arrest, interrogate, and execute planetary, sub-sector, or even sector governors should the occasion warrant it, and can do the same to officers of the Astra Militarum and the Imperial Navy (although custom dictates that they must seek permission from the Commissariat, the organisation responsible for enforcing military law in the Astra Militarum).Only the very highest-ranking individuals and Imperial institutions are above the dictates of Imperial Law (the Imperial Inquisition, the Adeptus Astartes, the Navis Nobilite, etc.), something that reflects powerfully on the mutual awe and terror in which the Arbitrators are held across the galaxy.Commanded by the Grand Provost Marshal of the Adeptus Arbites, who is one of the High Lords of Terra, the Arbites maintains an uncompromising attitude towards crime and hands out harsh sentences for violations, including summary execution, helping to make its officers in their dreaded black uniforms into symbols of fear across the Imperium.The Arbites is, for all intents and purposes, the practical militant arm of the Adeptus Terra. It presents a united legal front across the galaxy -- it is concerned only with citizens following Imperial Law, and remains separate from enforcing local (planetary) laws.Arbitrators go to great lengths to remain aloof and separate from the populations they police, often only appearing to patrol and drag some poor unfortunate back to their terrifying precinct-fortresses. |
Adeptus Arbites - Precinct Fortresses: The Arbitrators operate out of massive precinct-fortresses, located within capital cities in close proximity to the planetary governor of major Imperial worlds. Sprawling hive cities may also have their own Courthouse Precinct to aid in large scale monitoring.Remote planets of little importance may have just a single fortified precinct house for the single Arbitrator stationed there. Whatever their number on a world, or relative size and importance, every precinct-fortress is broadly similar.They are severe, utilitarian buildings with black armoured walls as thick as a military bunker. Their towering shapes exude an air of menace, frowning down on the other buildings nearby and the citizens who hurry fearfully past.Though each precinct varies based on the needs and environment of the world it is built on, many include the same basic elements: billets for the Arbitrators, an extensive armoury to ensure they are well-equipped for the job at hand, secure cells in which to detain suspects ready for questioning or trial, and a court of judgement where guilt and punishment is determined.These resources can vary greatly, as a precinct with only a single Arbitrator may have limited ability to hold the guilty until the time of their punishment, and summary execution may be the Arbitrator's only viable course of action. Monitoring arrays allow the users to listen in on local communications and heavy calibre automated weapon turrets track passing vehicles.Larger precincts may contain additional facilities at the discretion of the High Marshal or Judge such as specialised interrogation rooms fitted out with all manner of devices for extracting information from those who find themselves strapped to the table, medicae centres containing automated equipment and surgeon-servitors to treat the wounds of injured agents, and Astropathica shrines where pleas for aid can be transmitted to other planets and incoming messages painstakingly decoded.Planetary governors often resent the Imperial oversight represented by the precinct-fortresses on their world. However, in the event of widespread civil unrest and rebellion, they can provide sanctuary from the raging mobs and form the base from which the uprising will be crushed.In the case of a hostile invasion, the Arbites may well be the only ones with the means to send for Imperial reinforcements, and their armoured fortresses often become a rallying point and central hub of the resistance.Assistance rarely arrives quickly enough to save the population, but behind their thick walls and heavy doors, it is the Arbitrators' duty to hold out for as long as possible, until the last scrap of food is gone and the last round of ammunition has been fired. |
Adeptus Arbites - Imperial Law: Unlike the members of the Inquisition, the Arbitrators (also sometimes called Arbiters) of the Adeptus Arbites are unable to freely judge or sentence other Imperial citizens at will.The only mandate an Arbitrator is sworn to uphold and enforce to the letter is formally known as the Dictates Imperialis, the laws of the Imperium as set by the Adeptus Terra; local laws are not the Arbitrators' concern, nor do they fall under their jurisdiction, and those are left to be enforced by local law enforcement agencies.Likewise, they owe no allegiance to any local Imperial Commander or planetary governor and are themselves above any planetary law. The Lex Imperialis is a collection of laws, rules, precedents, and other legal protocols collected from the decrees of the Emperor of Mankind in ancient times and the High Lords of Terra over the last ten millennia. An Arbitrator could spend solar decades researching and studying the law for one case.The Imperial Law that the Arbites enforce is thousands of Terran years old and, in some cases, is potentially irrational and oppressive. It could be as much a crime to be kidnapped under certain circumstances as it is to kidnap an individual.Any crime which concerns the Arbites is already severe, and the usual punishment is death, either through immediate execution or the delayed death sentence of conscription into a Penal Legion of the Astra Militarum.The common Imperial citizen has no legal right to a trial beyond the judgment of an Arbitrator once the Arbites are called in to deal with a crime. Other punishments include public lashings, and death by burning in the case of certain religious heresies.With the permission of the Ecclesiarchy, for crimes of heresy or crimes conducted by an Adeptus Ministorum priest who has abused their office, the sentence is usually that of Arco-flagellation. |
Adeptus Arbites - Lex Imperialis and the Book of Judgement: The Lex Imperialis, the code of Imperial Law, is written down in the Book of Judgement kept by the Adeptus Arbites. The Book of Judgement has been painstakingly collected, annotated and collated over millennia and embodies every decree ever passed by the Emperor Himself or the High Lords of Terra.In fact, the Book of Judgement has long-since grown beyond the confines of a single tome, no matter how large, and comprises countless records, books, and legal decrees.The most ancient articles are written on crumbling parchments, enscribed in unknown Human tongues by the nameless functionaries of a forgotten age. However, every day new volumes of parchment, data-records, and encoded holoscript are added to the Book of Judgement, and interred within the reinforced confines of the Hall of Judgement on Terra. Shelves of tomes rise hundreds of metres towards the vaulted ceilings above canyons of marble and iron.Over the ages, the Hall of Judgement has been expanded and extended many times, so that it is now an entire complex covering many acres, with kilometres of corridors, levels, and rooms. Scholars, scribes, and law lords pace the time-worn marble floors, while above their heads, on the narrow gantries and ladders that cover the shelf stacks like a spider's web, crawl legal assistants and low-ranking functionaries, searching through the detritus of judgement for solar weeks and months at a time to find just a single reference.Sectors ruled by the Imperium follow the precepts of the Lex Imperialis and the Book of Judgement. Over the centuries, of course, the interpretation of the Lex Imperialis by various sector lords and Judges became more and more bloated and unwieldy from numerous additions, amendments, exceptions, and clauses, the result of interpreting Imperial Law to the needs of specific locales.There exists a veritable army of thousands of clerks, litigants, and barristers toiling away on a sector's capital world just to interpret its ever evolving decrees and dicta.Indeed, the most astute Rogue Traders, trade houses, and merchant interests keep their own teams of legal scholars in their employ, both to keep them abreast of the current state of law in a given sector where they do business as well as to give them protection and guidance should they become embroiled in legal proceedings.Rogue Traders often send one of their cargo vessels to a sector's capital world once a solar decade to obtain the most up-to-date records of the Lex Imperialis as interpreted by that sector's law.Every Adeptus Arbites Judge, at some point in their career, attempts a pilgrimage to the Hall of Judgement on Terra, there to study the full intricacies of Imperial Law. Many spend long standard years there, for the most heinous, subtle, or far-reaching crimes often require a lengthy process of research to pass judgement.While the Dictates Imperialis are extensive, the huge volume of prior cases and sometimes contradictory rulings can make it difficult to determine the correct decision. In especially complex cases, it may take Terran centuries to reach an outcome -- a Judge may spend their entire life deliberating, scrutinising, and trying to fathom out the issues, only to pass their work on, unfinished, for others to continue.Millennia later, though the accused are long dead, a ruling is finally made and justice must be meted out upon the distant descendants and those obscurely associated with the original transgressor. |
Adeptus Arbites - Lex Imperialis and the Calixis Sector: The codified Lex Imperialis is a labyrinth of laws and ordinances that govern the Imperium's scattered worlds. Imperial Law is, for the most part, brutal and unyielding, yet understanding every nuance of its breadth and scope is an impossible task.In addition, the Lex Imperialis can be interpreted with a myriad of minute differences across the galaxy, which are as many as the innumerable different Human cultures that comprise the Imperium itself.More importantly, the Lex Imperialis does not deal with the laws of specific planets. Instead, it deals with the rule of the Imperium: in other words, the Imperial Tithe and the legal workings of the Imperium as a whole, the law codes that bind the Human-settled galaxy together within a single, if feudal, interstellar government.Within the Calixis Sector, the Adeptus Arbites and other Imperial agents tend towards a fairly "average" interpretation of the Lex Imperialis, if such an interpretation can be said to exist. Of course, even then each Judge and Arbitrator has their own interpretation of the finer points of Imperial Law, and each one's view of the Lex Imperialis is different. |
Adeptus Arbites - Corpus Presidium Calixis: While the mighty Dictates Imperialis contains the writ of the Emperor's holy word, the rulings of the High Lords of Terra, and the enumerable precedents and judgements of the great and the just among the Adeptus Arbites themselves, it is not the whole of the law. Indeed, it is far from it.The Corpus Presidium Calixis is the name given to the collected laws, enshrined rights, and traditions of the Calixis Sector itself. It holds sway over the lives of billions, forming the bedrock of the lord sector's rule.Much of it is a reiteration (or interpretation) of the tenets of the holy Dictates Imperialis and other strictures laid down in the ordinances of the Segmentum Obscurus of which the Calixis Sector is a part. However, a great part of the Dictates is individual and unique to the Calixis Sector.Of this latter portion, much was writ during the Angevin Crusade and its aftermath, either by Lord Militant Golgenna Angevin himself, his advisors, and most importantly, by the hand of Saint Drusus.These documents do much to enshrine the rule of law in the sector and establish the power and strength of the nobility, the rights of the great houses and the laws of dynastic succession, and to lay down the strictures in which the Combine Commercia, the corporations and commercial houses of the sector, operate.These ancient laws, given under a Warmaster's authority and ratified by an Imperial saint, have a provenance and weight that is difficult to overturn or ignore. Even the other Imperial adepta and the Ordos Calixis of the Inquisition must consider their import carefully before acting against them. |
Adeptus Arbites - Imperial Law and the Adeptus Arbites: To aid their investigations, most Arbites Precinct Fortresses boast a cogitator stack containing a massively abridged version of just a portion of those judgements and precedents of the Lex Imperialis that fall commonly into the Arbitrators' local purview. These rulings by segmentae Judges, High Marshals and even the Lords Marshal themselves, are designed to expedite the work of an individual Arbitrator.The Imperium of Man is ultimately a theocracy, and although the Arbites wield and police temporal authority, religious concepts make up the bedrock of Imperial Law. The Lex Imperialis holds that the Emperor rightfully expects service and obedience from every Human being in the galaxy, and that within the Imperium that expectation is made manifest through the scripture of His laws.To break the Lex Imperialis is not only to disobey a law of the government, it is to violate the immaculate and divine moral order those laws set out. This violation of a divine order -- this sin -- is present in every crime the Arbites investigate, and once this reality is understood the need for harsh methods and stern penalties becomes clear. For the Arbites, there is no such thing as a petty crime.This is also why the heresy of abstractionism -- the attempt by some Arbitrators to go beyond the bounds of the letter of the law in the search for justice -- is so reviled by right-thinking Arbites. It places the flawed and hubristic whims of an individual above the clean, majestic structures of the Emperor's laws as made manifest through the due scripture of His servants. The letter of the law is immaculate -- to claim access to the spirit of the law is to claim equality with the Emperor, a crime and a blasphemy which no Arbitor should countenance.There are a number of broad crimes the Arbites constantly find themselves fighting. There are crimes of destabilisation, committed on scales taking in whole planetary populations. These are the waves of anarchy that can break across a world from disobedient anger at adepta rule, or the criminal loss of discipline in the face of disaster or famine.It can be panic at imminent or actual invasion, or a hive-, continent-, or planetwide religious fervour that skews the perspective of the masses and sees them in flagellant processions or hysterical mass confessions rather than keeping the wheels of the Imperium turning.Where a planetary governor cannot restrain their citizens the Arbites must take the lead and set the example, breaking rioters, crushing panics, and showing the mob the meaning of Imperial loyalty and discipline. Invariably, when the Arbites must take such action, the governor will be called to account for his or her loss of control, and few survive their verdict.It is said the Lex Imperialis allows that crimes of destabilisation may arise from raw passions ineffectively contained. Crimes of sedition have no such mitigation -- they result from the cold and careful intention to strike at the perfect machinery of Imperial rule.Blasphemy, heresy, the spreading of freethinking propaganda, and the deliberate and knowing defiance of Arbites law are all crimes of sedition, as are physical and moral assaults on the instruments of Imperial rule. A mind capable of deliberate sedition could be capable of anything, and the punishments for it are ruthless and terrifying to contemplate.To enforce every mandate within the Lex Imperialis is a nearly impossible task. These codices of law are so enormous and erudite that few individuals can claim to know all of their secrets or loopholes. Even the Judges of the Arbites must regularly confer with archive-savants and librarium cogitation engines in order to make their rulings.Working for the local planetary Enforcers or powerful nobles during the all-too-rare trials, the legal experts make up a group of rare legal minds. These steadfast scholars spend solar decades poring over the Lex Imperialis, learning its every nuance and interpretation. |
Adeptus Arbites - Investigations: In special cases, Arbitrators may be granted a considerable degree of independence and latitude in pursuing transgressors of the law. This may take them away from their regular duties for extended periods and even necessitate travel off-planet, if that is where the trail leads. It is hardly surprising then, if their inquiries bring them to the notice of an Inquisitor, who may request their ongoing services as an Acolyte.This is usually a harmonious relationship, as both are implacable servants of the Imperium and are dedicated to rooting out those that would see it fall, and many Inquisitors count Arbitrators among their most trusted servants.Of course, Inquisitors are invested with completely discretionary powers to determine a course of action and punishment, in stark contrast to the iron dictates of the law that the Arbitrators must follow.Any bending of the rules or leniency granted to wrongdoers by the Inquisition in return for information and favours may well cause friction. As such, members of the Adeptus Arbites are better suited as the Acolytes of Puritan Inquisitors. It is not unheard of for Arbitrator Acolytes to turn upon Radical Inquisitors if they perceive an unforgivable law has been broken.The sponsorship of an Inquisitor can provide a considerable boost to the career of an Arbitrator. The word of a senior member of the Holy Ordos goes a long way to improving the chances of an Arbitrator in being elevated to the high rank of Judge. Of course, the Inquisitor will then expect the Judge to serve them as well as the Arbites, gaining by extension the Judge's sweeping power and Imperial authority at a level few other Inquisitorial agents possess.In fact, given a Judge's great standing and responsibility, their relationship with an Inquisitor is often something close to an equal partnership. Facing such a combination, the enemies of the Imperium will surely fall. |
Adeptus Arbites - Law in Dispute: The Adeptus Arbites are the chief enforcers of the Emperor's law. On the countless worlds of the Imperium, it is the steel gauntlet of the Arbites that ensures the inviolable law of the Emperor is followed.It is the Arbitrators who stand ready to enforce the law of the Imperium over the regulations and concerns of planetary rulers, and it is the Arbitrators who are the first line of defence against rebellion and anarchy.They are the rigid, unbreakable order of the Imperium personified. Yet just as rust can creep into the cracks of the toughest armour, so discord can fester in these protectors of Imperial rule.The written law of the great Book of Judgement, or the Dictates Imperialis as it is more properly known, is unforgiving, but neither is it simple nor brief. The law of the Imperium is vast and considered divinely-inspired, yet it is not so great in size that it covers every eventuality.In such cases where the law fails to give clear guidance, a case must be judged in line with any precedence set by previous judgements. Between the vagaries of interpretation and the weight of precedence fall many disputes and contradictions, some of which even an Arbites Judge cannot reconcile.Thus, an unbending approach to the Emperor's law can lend authority to the indiscriminate killer as easy as it can the guardian of order, and a judgement once made can create licence for all manner of actions normally beyond consideration until a greater judgement contradicts it. |
Adeptus Arbites - Quality of Judgement: The Judges of the Adeptus Arbites are mighty lords, clad in the raiment and traditions of a long past age. They wield the absolute and unforgiving law of the Imperium with brutal and unyielding exaction, for it is given to them to stand guard against the treachery of those beneath them and the excesses and ambitions of those in power. Not least of all this includes the Imperial Commanders and their agents who directly govern the Imperium's many worlds.Each Judge may command their own armed forces of Arbitrators and may call upon the other resources of the Imperium if they require it. Trusting no one and nothing but the letter of the law, they are able to hold almost all within the Imperium to account.The power of the senior Judges and High Marshals of the Adeptus Arbites is almost equal to that of the Inquisition -- except they are bound entirely by the hierarchy of the Imperium and cannot step beyond the measure of the Dictates Imperialis.Given such power and responsibility, it is possible for the judgement of these men and women to stray and for them to find themselves following a path of conflict with other agencies of the Imperium. So it is that instances of heresy and strife relating to the Adeptus Arbites most often have their root in the Judges.While they may be inflexible in the execution of their duties, and unflinching in their authority, there are some threats against which neither the word of the law nor strength of arms offer any defence. |
Adeptus Arbites - Crime of Abstraction: Although extremely rare, abstractionism is considered by some to be the oldest sin those empowered to enforce Imperial Law may commit. For all of the wisdom accumulated by venerable Judges, the shadow of abstraction clings to their office like a leech."Abstractionism" is a term applied to a condition of criminal deviancy in Arbitrators who come to see the letter of the law as inadequate to the task of executing their duties in an expedient manner. Instead, they come to rely on summary judgement over evidence and due process.The worst stray into vigilantism, meting out punishment and death for perceived or even potential crimes rather than real ones. This creed is considered a vile heresy, a breaking of the Arbites' oath, and a crime punishable by death if discovered.Of course those who fall into this heresy feel they are on the side of the righteous and that their own sense of the law and moral imperative are a guide to truth and judgement in an uncaring universe. In the worst of cases, such as the long-suppressed Cerpicia Precinct incident on the world of Hredrin, unauthorised and unmarked Arbites Kill-teams were sent to execute criminals at the behest of an illegal "star chamber" of judgement.Venerable Marshals used their subordinates to assassinate members of other Imperial agencies who they felt "must" be Heretics. In such rare and dangerous cases, the slide from persecuting the enemies of the Imperium to becoming one can be a swift journey indeed.Tragically, it is often the most intelligent, faithful, and dedicated among the Judges and Marshals that fall to the sin of abstractionism in their desire to do the Emperor's work. They doom themselves to a Traitor's death if they are discovered by their fellow Arbitrators, and worse should the Ordo Hereticus claim them. |
Adeptus Arbites - Disputes of Jurisdiction: Conflicts between the Adeptus Arbites and other Imperial agencies most commonly occur as disputes over which has authority to enforce Imperial Law and which law applies in a given case. Many Judges see the letter of Imperial Law as not only absolutely unbending but without boundaries or limits.Zealous Arbitrators have been known to seize and execute agents of the Ministorum for executing Heretics without recourse to the law, or bullishly intervene on the discovery of some cult or secret agency only to later discover that they have jeopardised a covert Inquisitorial investigation.To some foolish or fanatic Judges, such distinctions as the sanctity of a Navigator's ancient privileges or an Imperial noble's rights and title are subservient to the requirements of the law. To them, the greater weight of the law outweighs other considerations in any and all cases.Most often such activities are reined in by the Arbitrator's high command before conflict can turn to violence or even open warfare. On rare occasions, a senior Marshal or Judge (knowing full well the risks of doing so), might start a secret investigation against an agency whose immunity from the law they cannot accept. Whether they are right or wrong in their suspicions, bloodshed is the often inevitable result. |
Adeptus Arbites - Enforcer Cadres: Many worlds have their own cadres of Enforcers, local law enforcement agencies provided by the Imperial Commander to enforce their will and the common law of their world. Unlike the mighty Arbitrators, most Enforcers, or whatever other local title they use, hold little loyalty to the law itself or to the tradition of service (although there are notable exceptions to this).Instead they function as the iron hand of the planetary governor's rule at best, and are at worst little more than hired thugs with some degree of official sanction -- loyal only to their paymaster and eminently venial and corruptible.Within the Calixis Sector, the role and nature of Enforcer cadres vary widely. Perhaps the most well-organised and numerous force is the Magistratum of Scintilla, a paramilitary force that serves as the direct agency of the office of the lord governor.The Magistratum numbers tens of thousands of armed men and women, nearly as well resourced as the Adeptus Arbites. At the other end of the scale, worlds such as Luggnum, whose communities are scattered across numerous mining camps and shanty towns, make do with Regulators and Rail Agents to maintain order and dispense rough justice. Many of these are little better than bandits and extortionists themselves.Some worlds, either through culture or simple lack of technology, do without Enforcer cadres at all, the ruling classes and their private armies being in sole charge.Although this arrangement is most common on Feudal and Feral Worlds, it is not exclusive to them, and indeed Malfi, a sub-sector capital and a Hive World second only to Scintilla in the Calixis Sector, is largely governed and civil order maintained by the armsmen of its Great Houses. Its small Enforcer cadres are little more than over-armed door wardens and palace guards.In most cases, the Adeptus Arbites and the Inquisition view Enforcer cadres with some suspicion, if not outright distrust, concerning their competence, loyalty and professionalism, often with good reason. |
Adeptus Arbites - Adepta Organisation: The overall leader of the Adeptus Arbites is the Grand Provost Marshal, who represents the Arbitrators on the Senatorum Imperialis as one of the High Lords of Terra. Below the Grand Provost Marshal are the senior Arbites officers known as the "Marshals of the Court" who oversee sector-spanning administrative jurisdictions that are called "Precincts."Below the Marshals of the Court, the Arbites are internally divided into two primary divisions; the Judges, who deal with actual legal matters and the application of ten thousand standard years of Imperial Law to criminal and civil cases, and Arbitrators, the paramilitary law enforcement arm of the Arbites who perform the work necessary to apprehend and punish those who break the dictates of the Lex Imperialis.Arbitrators and Judges operate in parallel organisations within the Adeptus Arbites, though the two separate organisations join at the highest ranks when senior Judges and Arbitrators are raised to become Marshals of the Court. Senior Arbites fulfill both roles, with Judges getting their hands dirty apprehending criminals in the field, and Arbitrators learning to preside over lengthy court trials.There are numerous ranks and roles within each of the Arbites divisions, such as the squads of Verispex technicians who provide forensic evidence drawn from a crime scene to the Judges and Arbitrators, the Chaplains who provide the spiritual sustenance of the Imperial Cult to the Arbitrators and the Chasteners who are experts in the psychological and physical interrogation of prisoners.For their part, the Arbitrators are divided into many different functional roles, each trained and equipped accordingly. Patrol groups of Arbitrators prowl the dangerous underhives of hive cities, Shock Troops break up the vicious queue wars which often develop outside Imperial government buildings belonging to the bureaucrats of the Administratum, Execution Teams hound the guilty through barren wastes and labyrinthine tunnels, and Snatch Squads apprehend targets for interrogation by the Chasteners.Other kinds of Arbitrators include cyber-warfare specialists who apprehend cyber-criminals through the cogitator matrices of the Administratum and specialists who carry out more long-term investigations who are known as Arbitrator Detectives. Senior Arbitrators are often awarded the rank of Proctor and placed in command of the different types of Arbitrator squad.Arbites installations are maintained on almost every Imperial world and are known as precinct-fortresses or precinct courthouses. Each precinct courthouse includes an armoured installation that serves as an armoury, training ground, barracks, prison and judgment hall.In order to remain fully aloof and separate from the populations they patrol, precincts are as close to fully-enclosed and fortified cities as they can be, and include dungeons, barracks, firing ranges, scriptories, archives, warehouses, kitchens, gymnasia and garages. They include all possible resources that the Arbitrators require -- including their own Astropath facilities and access to orbital docks. These courthouses are intended to be self-sufficient and to support a complete Arbites army and they are equipped as such.Amongst the most highly trained and disciplined individuals in the Imperium, Arbitrators may find themselves commissioned to join the retinue of an Inquisitor as an Inquisitorial Acolyte.The Arbites has strong ties in particular with the Ordo Hereticus, and the two can often be found working towards common goals. Arbitrators in these retinues are ironically often known as "Enforcers," having been released from their single-world jurisdiction, and free to punish law-breakers wherever they may be. |
Adeptus Arbites - Recruitment and Promotion: Arbitrators are recruited from exceptional members of the Schola Progenium from all over the Imperium. This organisation fosters the orphaned children of high-ranking Imperial servants (whether they are scholars, scribes, or soldiers) and grooms them for their own life of dedicated service to the Emperor. Those chosen for service in the Adeptus Arbites are selected for a variety of reasons.Such candidates could be those who dominated their fellow progenia though force of will, or those who show an attention to detail and an analytical mind. Ultimately, any candidate must be exceptional if they are to serve within the Adeptus Arbites.It is ensured that new Arbitrators have no ties or connections whatsoever to the world on which they are to be stationed, so there is no weakness for blackmail or coercion to exploit -- Arbitrators are famously incorruptible.Though the term "Arbitrator" is often used to indicate the members of the Adeptus Arbites as a whole, there are in fact many ranks within a given sector that may be bestowed upon such individuals. These titles are selected for each world or sub-sector to instill fear in the local culture.In a sector rife with heresy (such as the Calixis Sector) it is crucial that an Adeptus Arbites officer is instantly obeyed. Therefore, a Lord Marshal might allow individual precincts to title their officers as they best see fit, and these titles often deviate greatly from precinct to precinct. Furthermore, specialists found within a sector often find their titles altered, even from one locale to another.Once trained and deployed on-world, the lowest ranks are most commonly seen patrolling the streets in small squads, discouraging trouble by their menacing presence. This is especially true in many of the hive cities of a highly populated Hive World, which serve as a proving and burial ground for many fledgling Arbitrators.Those novice Arbitrators who prove themselves may be promoted to the ranks of Investigator, a title chosen to strike fear into the nobles of an Imperial world, who have many secrets. Some may show themselves to be highly capable in the field, even in high pressure, life-threatening situations, and be tasked with guiding field operations. Others are tireless at rooting out evidence and leads, as well as having an excellent command of Imperial Law and how to apply it, and they may be promoted to even higher ranks.Many Lord Marshals value skill, tenacity, and faith, and to that end, higher and more specialised appointments are awarded to those officers with exceptional talents in particular areas. Those who truly excel in the detection of crime may become the ultimate spymasters, tacticians, and forensic experts. No wrongdoer is too well-hidden to escape their notice or evade their cunningly laid traps.Those who specialise in trial and prosecution, who boast an encyclopedic knowledge of the Lex Imperialis and a gift for oratory and incisive accusation, may be tasked with presiding over glorious show-trials and passing judgement upon those great individuals who have failed in their duties to the Emperor.Arbitrators whose particular skills lie in the application of extreme brutality and military force or the command of troops in battle, and who have proven time and again that they are nigh impossible to kill, may be promoted to the level of Proctor or Marshal. Proctors derive their name from ancient military traditions in the underhive of Gunmetal City on Scintilla, a term that carries with it an air of divine justice. They specialise in crushing riots and insurrection in the most hostile of districts deep within a hive city's steel and iron caverns.Arbites High Marshals are the commanders who control the deployment of resources across the precincts of an entire planet or even multiple planetary systems. They serve at the direct appointment of the Lord Marshal, and there is no higher Imperial legal authority on a planet, unless an Inquisitor decides to "open a dialogue" on the subject. It is they who bear the heavy burden of allocating Arbitrators and equipment, trusting to their own judgement and the Emperor's will that their forces will be in the right place at the right time.A few remarkable individuals may, after a long and illustrious career, be elevated to the rank of Judge. Judges are iron-willed lords of Imperial justice, who have far-reaching powers, an extraordinary mandate, and influence not far below that of an Inquisitor. They investigate and sit in judgement over those who commit the most heinous crimes, and will go to any lengths to pursue and capture or destroy a perpetrator.All Arbitrators of high rank will readily deliver their sentence personally, through the barrel of a gun, and have the power to deploy the uncompromising force of the Arbitrators when it is necessary. Should the need arise, perhaps if an entire planet has fallen to civil unrest, they even have the influence to request, and receive, the full might of the Astra Militarum to restore the Pax Imperialis (though in such cases, the population of the planet is often substantially reduced).It should be noted that while the Adeptus Arbites enforce galaxy-wide Imperial Law, every world and star system will have its own local laws, inherited through tradition or imposed by autocratic ruling families and severe planetary governors. Each world's rulers will maintain their own policing force, recruited locally, and often outnumbering the Arbitrators a thousand to one -- these local law enforcement officers are commonly known in Imperial jargon simply as "Enforcers," though they are each called by their own title on each world they serve.These native Enforcers often mimic the Arbites in appearance, but their local ties and often less rigorous standards mean that they are far more susceptible to corruption. The objectives of local Enforcers and Imperial Arbitrators often overlap, and the two work in conjunction when it is mutually beneficial. However, there are also occasions when they come into direct conflict.In practice, the Arbitrators are tasked to punish criminal activity, root out cultists and illegal gatherings, eliminate organised gangs, and are often unleashed en masse to quell riots. They must be as willing to dispense justice as they are to pronounce it.Often the punishment will be a swift bullet to the brain (or the perpetrator will have expired during the process of apprehension and interrogation). Other sentences, amongst the hundreds of thousands available in Imperial Law, include flogging, limb amputation, exile to a Penal World, condemnation to a Penal Legion, public execution, or conversion into a servitor.Arbitrators have the power to commandeer local Enforcers and other resources such as ground vehicles or air transportation, the services of freelance bounty hunters if their own manpower is lacking, and in dire circumstances can summon Imperial military assistance. Their authority supersedes even that of the local planetary governor, who will be closely scrutinized if there is any suspicion that their duties are not being undertaken with all due diligence.If the governor is late in the payment of Imperial tithes, is less than thorough in enforcing the population's proper worship of the God-Emperor, or is tempted to decline sending troops to the aid of an embattled neighbour, the Arbites will be watching. In times of crisis and conflict, it is possible that a planetary governor may be assassinated, deposed, incapacitated, or even implicated in one of the Arbites' investigations.If this should happen, then the highest-ranking member of the Adeptus Arbites available on the world has the authority to temporarily take over rulership of the planet, until a suitable replacement can be put in place.This duty generally falls to an Arbitrator with the rank of Judge or Marshal, but where an isolated world has only a token Imperial presence, even the lowest ranked Arbitrators have, on rare occasion, stepped in to fill the breach. |
Adeptus Arbites - Arbitrator Ranks: Arbitrator ranks, from relatively highest to lowest, are described below. |
Adeptus Arbites - Grand Provost Marshal: The Grand Provost Marshal is the leader of the Adeptus Arbites and sets its overall policy from the Hall of Judgement on Terra. The Grand Provost Marshal also is considered a High Lord of Terra and sits on the Senatorum Imperialis, the collective ruling body of the Imperium. |
Adeptus Arbites - Lord Marshal: As the Imperium is mighty so too is the Lord Marshal. Their will is not blunted by the petty whims of circumstance. The cold rule of law is their only measure, and woe betide those that fall short. A Lord Marshal commands the Arbites presence within an entire Imperial sector. |
Adeptus Arbites - Justicar: The Justicar is a senior and highly decorated Marshal who brings the light of the Emperor's judgement to decadent nobles, corrupt officials of the Adeptus Terra and local planetary administrations and worlds brought low by dark worship.Justicars are rare individuals within the Arbites hierarchy, but where they can be found they normally command the Arbites presence on an entire Imperial world or across several star systems.Justicars are powerful officials within the Arbites hierarchy who may be tasked by their Lord Marshal or even the Grand Provost Marshal with troubleshooting duties spanning an entire sector or even several regions of the Imperium where the Emperor's justice has dimmed. |
Adeptus Arbites - Marshal: A high administrative rank, comparable to a Magistrate but with increased seniority, Marshals take the rule of law to the darkest dens of scum and depravity, dispensing Imperial justice in a bright arc of muzzle flare.Marshals normally command the Arbites presence on an entire Imperial world or even several star systems. |
Adeptus Arbites - Magistrate: A Magistrate is a senior and highly experienced Judge who rules upon intricate cases of heresy and sedition. By dispensing death, they keep the soul of the Imperium alive. Magistrates hear and decide the most difficult of cases to come before the Arbites. |
Adeptus Arbites - Judge: A Judge is a senior Arbitrator whose experience and knowledge of the law has given them the right to hear the more difficult cases that come before the Arbites and to command their fellow Arbitrators in the field and in the Precinct House. Judges are often the highest-ranking Arbitrator in a given Precinct if there is more than one Arbites Precinct on a world.Judges often work closely with the Arbites' Chasteners and pronounce sentences over any prisoners held within their Precinct courthouse, though any Arbitrator also has the authority to proclaim sentences and execute those sentences in the field.Most Judges deal with crimes of a more high-profile nature or where the correct sentence under Imperial Law is unclear to the arresting Arbitrator. Most Judges were originally Arbitrators themselves who were promoted upwards in the adepta. |
Adeptus Arbites - Proctor: A lateral rank, comparable to an Intelligencer, Proctors are Arbitrators who lead Adeptus Arbites riot squads and suppression forces in the field against highly armed, and highly foolish, criminals. |
Adeptus Arbites - Intelligencer: Intelligencers are those Arbitrators who serve as the Arbites' spymasters, tacticians and forensic experts. Their powerful intellect is matched only by their dedication to the Imperium. |
Adeptus Arbites - Investigator: Investigators are skilled and experienced Arbitrators who learn the arts of inquiry, using contacts, charm and dirty tactics to uncover the truth. Investigators are usually veteran Arbitrators who are the Imperial equivalent of real world police detectives. |
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