The Adepta Sororitas are perhaps the most notorious organization in Warhammer 40,000: an order comprised of fanatically devout women who destroy everything that opposes their values. Yet this image of the sisterhood is just a small glimpse.
For me, the Sororitas are the best faction in Warhammer overall. My first army consists of the Sisters of Battle, and in every game where it is possible, I play Sororitas. Of course, after all, these warrior-priestesses are almost as badass as Space Marines, just without the genetic enhancements. “Normal” humans with superhuman abilities.
Even within the community, the Sororitas are considered the part of the universe that feels the most like Warhammer, because they embody exactly what makes the world: fanatical faith far beyond what is believable, and completely exaggerated displays of firepower and devotion.
With all the stereotypes, it’s often overlooked that the Sororitas are much more than just women in power armor, exterminating heresy with flamethrowers and Bolters. They are also doctors, diplomats, and scientists – and count among the best of the Imperium.
The image of an organization of deadly women
That the Sororitas are primarily portrayed as fighters is largely due to their military arm, the “Sisters of Battle”, which has the most presence in almost all Warhammer media.
They are often called upon by the Inquisition when it needs support. The Sororitas are skilled in all forms of combat, able to conduct both planetary sieges and firefights in the narrow streets of giant cities.
Moreover, the Adepta Sororitas are the only organization of the Imperium that, besides the Space Marines, regularly wields power armor in their arsenal. Especially for tabletop, figures in heavy armor are naturally more appealing than women in civilian clothes.
Nonetheless, it is precisely these other vocations that make up a good part of the Sororitas.
Healers, missionaries, translators, and advisors
Just like the Adeptus Astartes, the Sororitas are divided into orders pursuing different doctrines. The “Sisters of Battle” are made up of the Ordo Militaris, which include well-known orders such as “Our Martyred Lady”, “Valorous Heart”, or “Ebon Chalice”.
However, there is much more diversity among the civilian orders. The Ordos Hospitaller, for example, provide surgeons, doctors, and nurses who help both civically and militarily, and as one of the few organizations, even provide charity to the poor.
Sisters Famulus serve as advisors to the noble houses of the Imperium, acting as stewards and ensuring that even on distant worlds, it is not forgotten that the Imperium must receive its share.
The lesser-known Ordos Sabine consist of missionaries who often accompany the exploration missions of the Imperium, advance into primitive civilizations, and attempt to spread the word of the Emperor. Other interesting Ordos include:
- Sisters Dialogus, who research and translate various dialects of the Imperium, as well as Xenos languages
- Sisters Pronatus, who find, preserve, and restore valuable church artifacts, similar to the Blood Ravens of the Space Marines, just less kleptomaniac
- Ordos Vespila, who work essentially as embalmers and forensic scientists
- or the Ordos Madriga, Fenestrus, and Princeps, which respectively provide church choirs, take care of the glasswork in cathedrals, and guard the ecclesiastical laws.
If you’re wondering why they all have such strange names: In Warhammer 40,000, High Gothic is spoken, a unique language.
How does one actually become an Adepta Sororitas?
Even though the various orientations of the Sororitas – especially considering the grim world of Warhammer – sound almost desirable, the path to it is less pretty. Typically, the Adepta Sororitas recruit their sisters from the Schola Progenium.
This is a kind of boarding school for orphans, of which there are billions in the Imperium of Man. Humans die not only countless times daily in the constant war, surviving in the cities themselves is also difficult.
The Scholas are operated by the Ecclesiarchy. This ensures that the children are directly indoctrinated with the Imperial Creed – the perfect members for orders like those of the Adepta Sororitas.
“If you believe in it, you must also act accordingly”
When I had the opportunity to speak with Anatoly Shestov, the head of the upcoming role-playing game “Dark Heresy”, I of course had to ask about my favorite faction. After all, a Sororitas plays an important role in the RPG.
For despite the diversity and apparent goodness of the Adepta Sororitas, they still follow the creed of the Imperium, according to which everything non-human is to be destroyed:
The Imperial Creed is not about celebrating the Sanguinalia. It is about building the conception of your life and your inner values around confronting what is different from you.
If you believe in it, you must also act accordingly.
Anatoly Shestov, Executive Producer of Dark Heresy at Owlcat
Here you can find the other parts of the interview:
- Part 1: I am an expert on Warhammer 40,000, but after a long conversation, I feel so dumb that it borders on heresy
- Part 2: Why does every human in Warhammer 40,000 fear the Inquisition? Someone who should know clarifies for me
- Part 3: Warhammer 40,000: Why would you not survive long in an Imperium mega-city
“They take no orders, not even from the Inquisition”
The special thing about the Adepta Sororitas is that they take orders from no other organization of the Imperium except the Ecclesiarchy – and even with the church, they are selective. They respect only the Emperor as the higher authority and accept churches in the Imperium only when they are considered pure enough in their eyes. Anatoly explains:
In most of their actions, they are protected by the Holy Word […] Whenever they think a local church is doing bad things, that is a problem of the church, not the Sororitas. […]
They take no orders, not even from the Inquisition. They accept no orders from the local ruler, from virtually anyone outside the ecclesiastical authority they recognize.
That is the key point. Not any ecclesiastical authority except for those they deem worthy. In our story, there will be some unconventional twists regarding what Sororitas are capable of and what influence that has on the surroundings.
Anatoly Shestov, Executive Producer of Dark Heresy at Owlcat
The Adepta Sororitas are one of the best examples that Warhammer 40,000 has much more to offer than just the inflated Space Marines, the terrible Chaos Gods, and the very green Orks. There is still much more to discover within the Imperium: Space Marines are cool and all, but do you already know these 6 factions from Warhammer 40,000?
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