Warhammer 40,000 is primarily known for one thing: the Space Marines, big guys in thick armor and with heavy weapons. However, the world and especially the Imperium has much more to offer, such as the female counterpart to the Space Marines. MeinMMO introduces you to the Adepta Sororitas.
As you may know, there are no women among the Space Marines. However, that does not mean that the Imperium consists solely of fighting men. In fact, women hold important roles in many positions within the army and in war.
There is, however, an all-female order that should be familiar to any Warhammer fan: the Adepta Sororitas. The Sororitas are women known for their fanatical faith in the Emperor of Mankind.
These nuns are raised from a young age to serve the Emperor unconditionally. They do not shy away from danger, are unshakable, and would rather choose martyrdom than bow to an enemy.
When the Sororitas attack, they usually arrive in invasion cathedrals – yes, they have mobile, armored places of worship with macro flamers and holy water cannons. The soldiers themselves fight with meltas, chainswords, and hand flamers (“inferno pistols”) to cleanse a world relentlessly. It is said that once the Sisters of Battle land, an enemy of the Imperium has little chance of surviving.
In the action RPG Inquisitor – Martyr, you can play as a Sororitas:
An order of warriors, created through a ruse
A brief excursion into the history of the Adepta Sororitas. The origin of the order is a small sect called the “Daughters of the Emperor,” who were hired as a bodyguard by a governor.
Goge Vandire, then the head of the Ecclesiarchy, basically the Pope, visited the world where the “Daughters of the Emperor” lived. He essentially discovered and deceived them by making them believe that the Emperor had saved him from a fatal shot. In truth, it was a shield that saved him.
By the way: The Ecclesiarchy is actually called Adeptus Ministorum in the high language of the Imperium. However, there is a reason why completely different words are often used in Warhammer.
The Daughters became the Brides of the Emperor and the bodyguard of the Ecclesiarch. Vandire later was accused of heresy and was executed by the leader of the Brides herself after she had been allowed to see the Emperor on his golden throne. His last words were reportedly: “I have no time to die, I am too busy.”
Vandire’s successor, Sebastian Thor, then decreed that the Church could have no “men in arms,” as they would become too powerful with such great influence and additional military strength. However, the Sororitas are not men – and so they were allowed to stay.
Weapons and armor like Space Marines, but still human
What defines the Adepta Sororitas is their armory. As the only military force besides the Space Marines, the Sororitas extensively use power armor that is nearly equal to that of the Space Marines. They utilize the same fusion core, but are significantly lighter.
However, since the Sororitas are human and not genetically enhanced super soldiers, they cannot “bond” with the armor in the way Space Marines do. Therefore, faith plays a significant role among the Sisters.
Simply put: The stronger the faith in the Emperor, the better a Sororita can utilize her equipment. With the Paragon power suits, which only the most devout Sororitas can wear, the Sisters have something comparable to the Terminator armor of the Space Marines.
According to the official rulebook, the Sororitas even manage to deflect enemy bullets through pure faith and reliably hit weak points. However, it is hard to say how much of this is true and how much is myth.
What is clear is that the Adepta Sororitas are so fanatical that they punish any misstep severely. If a Sister imagines even a single sin, she may do penance in an extremely brutal way:
- Sisters Repentia throw themselves into battle unarmored with a two-handed chainsword to die as martyrs.
- Sisters Oblatia even do penance for sins committed not by them, but by blood relatives.
- In Penitent Engines, sinners are tied naked to a war machine and connected to it, facing enemies protected only by the grace of the Emperor.
- Martyr engines are mechanical walkers with an Iron Maiden, in which a deserter is “screwed” in. The machine is driven by her shame and pain.
Not only warriors, but also healers and diplomats
The Adepta Sororitas are often referred to as Sisters of Battle. Strictly speaking, the Sisters are merely the fighting arm of the Sororitas, similar to how the Deathwatch is for the Inquisition.
The order of the nuns is structured similarly to the orders of the Space Marines, with individual units, leaders, and different doctrines. However, unlike the Space Marines, there are numerous non-fighting orders among the Sororitas, such as:
- Ordo Hospitalis: Nurses, doctors, and surgeons
- Ordo Dialogus: Linguists and translators for heretical texts and Xenos languages
- Ordo Famulus: Advisors and diplomats who assist various noble houses of the Imperium
- Ordo Pronatus: Curators and guardians of important artifacts and relics
An incorruptible order…?
Although the Adepta Sororitas are considered absolutely pure and uncorruptible by Chaos, there are cases where this has happened. At least one Sister, Miriael Sabathiel, was corrupted by Chaos and has also led other Sororitas to corruption.
In other cases, some Sisters have allied with the cults of the Tyranids, the “Genestealers,” to destroy their own order – or they were involuntarily infected.
Such cases are usually eradicated by the Sororitas as swiftly and thoroughly as possible so that no one ever learns of them. It has even been reported that a soldier underwent surgical procedures to take on the appearance of a Sister who had fallen to Chaos and thereby replace her from the outside.
By the way, the matter with the Tyranids is quite complex: The Adepta Sororitas are still human, and the Tyranids have developed a rather nasty method to start invasions on human worlds: “How is that possible?” – A player wants to know how Tyranids get past all the guns, receiving lore answers
