"I will die when the Emperor is ready to accept my soul, and not a moment before."
- — Sister Repentia Aemillia, Order of Our Martyred Lady
The Order of Our Martyred Lady is one of the major Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, or the Sisters of Battle, founded in honour of Saint Katherine by the Ecclesiarch Alexis XXII (the long-lived successor of the great reformer, Sebastian Thor) in the 36th Millennium when the location of the Adepta Sororitas' primary convent was split between Terra and Ophelia VII, creating, among others, the Order of Our Martyred Lady.
Of all the Orders Militant, there are none more numerous or more widely spread than the Order of Our Martyred Lady. Their name is known by the ruling elites and unwashed masses alike on countless worlds across the galaxy, and when spoken evokes hope in the righteous and fear amongst the faithless.
The order is renowned for its unrelenting pursuit of those who defy the Emperor by doing harm to His Imperium and its citizens. Xenos, marauders, Chaos armies and heretical cults are met with burning fury by the Sisters of Our Martyred Lady, who gather wherever the enemy is found to scour them from existence.
The Order of Our Martyred Lady holds fortified sanctuaries on a great many Imperial worlds, many of which date back to Saint Katherine's Wars of Faith. Some of these sanctuaries operate in relative isolation, existing far beyond the established boundaries of the order's parish, but the majority are located in the Segmentum Obscurus.
The broad distribution of the order's preceptories has seen the sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady engage in many of the Imperium's most gruelling war zones. On Armageddon, the sisters amassed to defend the Sanctorum of Saint Katherine against the Ork hordes of Ghazghkull Thraka.
Though fully half of their number were martyred, they inflicted such casualties on their enemies that vital greenskin forces were drawn away from other battlefronts, the sheer grit of the sisters enticing Orks from far and wide to join the siege.
The order also fought on Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade of Abaddon the Despoiler. Though the planet eventually fell, the faith held by those who battled there led to a great miracle, with Saint Celestine appearing from the Warp to bolster the defenders in their darkest hour.
Although the Great Rift now divides many of the order's sanctuaries, the sisters of Our Martyred Lady have not relented in their quest to avenge the Imperium's fallen heroes. They stand dauntless against the Chaos forces that pour from newly opened Warp Storms, and they march out to annihilate any foe that would prey upon Humanity's beleaguered defenders.
The fire of their spirit is a beacon of hope, a sign that even in this time of abounding horror, the Emperor has not abandoned His faithful servants.
Order History[]
A Sister of Battle of the Order of Our Martyred Lady
The Order of Our Martyred Lady was once known as the Order of the Fiery Heart. Like their fellow Adepta Sororitas Orders Militant, the sisters of the Fiery Heart could trace their origins back to the teachings of the Daughters of the Emperor during the Age of Apostasy in the 36th Millennium, but soon small variances began to manifest amongst the newly founded orders as the persona of the different founders asserted themselves.
The Order of the Fiery Heart reflected the vengeful nature of their first canoness and eventual patron saint, Katherine. Katherine had long been regarded as Dominica's second-in-command, and even before heading her own order had led many successful campaigns against the forces of heresy and Warpcraft.
With the Sisters of the Fiery Heart behind her, Katherine engaged in ever more Wars of Faith, seeking out the enemy both within and beyond the borders of the Imperium, and casting upon them the immolating light of the Emperor.
She led her order for many solar decades, enforcing the Emperor's will and prosecuting Wars of Faith across the galaxy. Within her lifetime she was declared a Living Saint for performing legendary acts and led her order to countless victories.
It was during one such War of Faith that Katherine was slain. Records regarding the events of her martyrdom are sparse and at times contradictory, with the oldest and most reliable account appearing in a charred fragment of parchment known as the Candela Scroll.
The legible script on this scroll states that Katherine's death came at the hands of the Witch-Cult of Mnestteus, but there is no indication of what this cult was or how they managed to slay the revered warrior. Ecclesiarchal records do show that word of Katherine's demise sent waves of anguish throughout the Adepta Sororitas, with many orders holding solar weeks-long vigils.
Yet the Order of the Fiery Heart took no such action. Every last preceptory, commandery and mission in the order girded themselves for battle, and channelled their grief into an endless quest for retribution. In honour of their fallen Matriarch they became the "Order of Our Martyred Lady," and have continued to seek vengeance ever since.
For millennia, the sisters of the order bore armour and weapons of stark black as a sign of their mourning. It was only after their engagements in the Third War for Armageddon that red was introduced into their livery.
The order once operated a convent on the desolate, wind-swept world of Sanctuary, known as Fortress-Sanctuary 101. In 897.M41 the convent and all the Sisters of Battle within were destroyed by the awakening of the Necrons who had made Sanctuary one of their Tomb Worlds.
Twelve standard years later in 909.M41, Canoness Sepherina made a pilgrimage to the site of the massacre. Her task was to reconsecrate the hallowed ground of the former convent, which still bore the scars of the Necron attack. She erected a single statuette of their patron saint Katherine for each slain sister, to stand eternal vigil over the site of her sisters' martyrdom.
By the time of Sepherina's pilgrimage, the bodies of the slain battle-sisters had yet to be returned from Inquisitor Hoth, who was studying them to learn more about the Necrons' weaponry, much to the chagrin of their order.
Notable Campaigns[]
A valiant battle-sister attempts to defend herself during the Massacre at Sanctuary 101
- Massacre 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.
- Martyrdom of Praxedes (991.M41) - Canoness Praxedes of the Order of Our Martyred Lady reinforced the regiments of the Imperial Guard serving the Cardinal World of Okassis, soon after the start of the Second Tyrannic War. As the Tyranids of Hive Fleet Kraken assaulted the Ecclesiarchal Cathedral, the combined fire of the order's Retributor Squads and Exorcist tanks obliterated the first wave of Tyranid biomorphs, but the second managed to breach the fortress-walls of the cathedral. As Tyranids poured through, Praxedes confronted a Hive Tyrant. During the fighting the canoness was dealt a mortal wound, but even as her blood ebbed away, she summoned the strength to land a final blow, caving in the hideous beast's skull with a thunderous strike from her Power Mace. With the Tyrant's destruction, the swarm lost all connection to the Hive Mind and thus all direction, with the biomorphs turning on one another in a cannibalistic rage. The Sisters of Our Martyred Lady wasted no time in pressing the assault, determined to avenge the death of their beloved canoness. The remaining xenos were swept aside, buying enough time to evacuate the Ecclesiarchy's remaining priests before the Tyranids launched their next wave of attacks. Praxedes was eventually canonised as an Imperial Saint for her actions on Okassis.
Battle-sisters march to war.
- Third War for Armageddon (998.M41) - The order maintained a strong presence within the Armageddon System, with its base of power at the Sanctorum of St. Katherine, which was built within the high walls of Hive Tempestora on the world of Armageddon. Then the largest Ork WAAAGH! ever raised, led by the Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, assaulted the planet and began the Third War for Armageddon. 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 solar 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 Orks took Hive Tempestora and the Sanctorum. After this defeat, the order could barely field three whole companies on Armageddon. 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.
- Destruction of Chandry (Unknown Date.M41) - Five commanderies from the Order of Our Martyred Lady set out to purge the heretical cults that have arisen on the Mining World of Chandry. The Sororitas never arrived at their destination, giving rise to the belief that the Emperor has denied the planet's inhabitants the mercy of purification. An Exterminatus action was subsequently ordered and carried out.
- Purging of the Saint Garrat Scriptorum (Unknown Date.M41) - It is believed that it was the Order of Our Martyred Lady, acting in concert with the Witch Finder Inquisitor Tannenburg of the Ordo Hereticus, who descended upon the Saint Garrat Scriptorum, dragging hundreds of Adeptus Terra scribes screaming to the excruciation chambers of Nemesis Tessra and burning down the scriptorum. When the adepts lodged a formal complaint with the High Lords of Terra, they were silenced when Inquisitor Tannenburg produced three hundred specimen jars; each contained the preserved remains of a scribe, their previously hidden mutations uncovered for all to witness.
- Fall of Cadia (999.M41) - Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade descended upon Cadia in 999.M41. Forces drawn from across the Imperium battled to drive back the Chaos invasion, and though they fought with bitter resolve they were in the end overwhelmed by the Despoiler's armies. Within the darkness of this war zone appeared Saint Celestine, bringing with her the five commanderies from the Order of Our Martyred Lady that were lost in the Warp fourteen hundred years before en route to Chandry. These reinforcements provided much needed firepower and hope. Before Cadia was ultimately consumed by Chaos energies, Celestine reaped a great toll on the armies of Abaddon.
- Indomitus Crusade (Unknown Date.M42) - Roboute Guilliman, the newly instated Lord Commander of the Imperium, launches the Indomitus Crusade to save Humanity from total annihilation. Through this grand campaign he is able to reinforce the embattled Adeptus Astartes Chapters, bolstering them with Primaris Space Marines. The Order of the Ebon Chalice is instrumental in the crusade's opening manoeuvres, fighting alongside Guilliman's forces to save the most strategically vital planets in the Segmentum Solar. Other orders lend their might on many of the crusade's multiple war fronts. It is during this dire time that Junith Eruita is elevated to the rank of Canoness Superior of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, having proven herself in countless battles to be a steadfast and fiery leader. A commandery of the Order of Our Martyred Lady joined Battle Group Faustus of the crusade's Fleet Secundus under the command of Canoness Justyne. It served as part of the force that sought to reclaim Imperial control over the Bosphori System.
- The Humble Saints (Unknown Date.M42) - The Alpha Legion enacted a fell ritual on the Agri-World of Nolth Prime. Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady fought alongside Space Marines of the Iron Hands Chapter to annihilate the Heretics, but were unable to prevent the planet from becoming saturated with Chaos energies. Yet amidst this catastrophe there was a glimmer of hope. The Emperor's will was manifested through the faithful inhabitants of the planet, many of whom gained the ability to project holy flames from their bodies.
The actions of the Order of Our Martyred Lady on Vigilus during the War of Beasts.
- War of Beasts (ca. 000.M41 - 015.M42) - The Sisters of Battle that fought upon Vigilus during the War of Beasts were a vital part of its defence. Without their faith, surety and swiftness of purpose, the hivesprawl of Oteck would almost certainly have fallen -- and likely Hyperia too. Some amongst the citizens have described the feats of martial prowess they exhibited as miraculous. The Adepta Sororitas have a proud tradition that saw their founders talk in person with the God-Emperor Himself. They are more than a mere military presence, for they embody the Imperial Creed, and back it up with fire and fury. On Vigilus, they kept the hivesprawls safe from countless threats, ranging from mundane rebellion to supernatural manifestation. The Order of Our Martyred Lady had fought to keep Vigilus unsullied by the scourge of Chaos for nearly four thousand Terran years. They had garrisoned Saint's Haven, the planetary capital and heart of the Ecclesiarchy on the world, ever since it was a simple basilicanum, and patrolled hundreds of kilometres of alabaster ramparts and tower-dotted boulevards in force. Being urbanised to such a degree, they fought almost exclusively in the built-up areas of the hivesprawls, and the Adepta Sororitas of Hyperia hivesprawl became a largely mechanised force. They had a great many transports at their behest, and were well-versed in the tactics of citizen control during times of strife -- so much so that the sight of their midnight-black vehicles sent the populace of Hyperia scrambling to move out of the way. Each Canoness and Sister Superior knew the city streets well, having made a study of them for her entire tenure. With the data-harvests of the Orders Dialogous predicting likely threat zones and guiding their optimal passage from one hivesprawl district to another, the Sisters of Hyperia were masters of their territory. Should the unbeliever, the Heretic or the abomination threaten a city district, the Sisters of Battle were swift to respond. It was this home advantage that saw them hurl back the Ork invaders time and time again in the War of Beasts' opening stages. Such was the influence of the Adeptus Ministorum over Vigilus that the Sisters of Battle under their command had priories and abbeys in every hivesprawl. They were initially placed there to further the reach of Saint's Haven -- or rather, the Ecclesiarchy's political presence there -- and for a time, the Planetary Governor Lucienne Agamemnus resented them. But as the Orks slowly closed on the planet's metropolises and the Genestealer Cult of the Pauper Princes rose up in dizzying numbers from beneath the streets, the true value of the Adepta Sororitas became clear. Where the Sisters of Battle walked, the grace of the Emperor held back unnatural magic and banished nightmares like the morning sun. Where they fought, the populace fought with them. The Canoness Superior in charge of the Adepta Sororitas upon Vigilus, a fiery and short-tempered individual known as Temperance Blaise, was so roundly feared that she was given free rein by the entire ruling Aquilarian Council to prosecute the Vigilus campaign as she saw fit. Beneath her was a network of trusted Canonesses and Celestian Superiors she had named "the Sacred Thorns," each of whom was entrusted with the defence of the Ministorum's interests in a different hivesprawl. When the Space Marines made planetfall upon Vigilus it was Temperance Blaise that dealt in person with the Chapter Masters. In the first few solar weeks of the war, Blaise had taken the invasion of her planet hard, and had led many a counterstrike in person, taking out her righteous indignation upon every malcontent and coward she could find, as well as the xenos invaders that threatened her cordons. Only when the war ground into more of a stalemate did she resume her role as war leader, coordinating the defence of Hyperia with lethal efficiency, and leaving the killing to her sisters. Used to all but ignoring the officers of the Astra Militarum, the Adeptus Astartes conversely worked closely with Blaise, for they saw in her a powerful ally with vital knowledge of each theatre of war in which they fought. Working together, they proved far greater than the sum of their parts. Though the Sisters of Battle kept largely to the hivesprawls, they held the line when even a whole regiment of Imperial Guardsmen would have been found wanting, defending the interior districts with bolter, Flamer and Melta blast.
- Talledus War (Unknown Date.M42) - Three preceptories of the Order of Our Martyred Lady under the command of Canoness Serita were among the defenders of the Grand Honorificum cathedral-city complex on the Cardinal World of Benediction. With the aid of other Imperial forces, they successfully blunted the final assault of the Word Bearers and their Daemonic and Chaos Cult allies under the command of Kor Phaeron upon the great cathedral.
Order Combat Doctrine[]
"Retreat? I have a score of the Emperor’s finest Battle Sisters at my command and you think a few hundred alien savages are cause to turn our back and flee? Let the enemy come, they shall find neither our resolve nor our aim wavering."
- — Sister Superior Lacena, Order of Our Martyred Lady
The Sisters of Our Martyred Lady continue to embody Katherine's burning passion and unflagging determination. On the battlefield they employ tactics that see their formations spread like an unstoppable fire, advancing inexorably as they reduce all who stand before them to ash.
Yet their approach to warfare is far from undisciplined. Katherine was a devoted student of military doctrine, and combined the formidable fighting techniques developed by the Daughters of the Emperor with those practised by other branches of the Imperium.
Her teachings have been upheld by the Order of Our Martyred Lady, and its sisters are able to switch from one strategy to another with frightening speed and efficacy.
Order Beliefs[]
"Even if you are able to kill me, heretic, my soul shall then become like fire.I shall be taken up by the Emperor and shall blaze as one with His divine light. For evermore shall I guide the faithful, lending them my strength until you and your cursed kind are scoured from existence. If you are able to kill me."
- — Canoness Arleille, Order of Our Martyred Lady
A battle-sister of the Martyred Lady in combat.
Since the death of their founding Matriarch, the Order of Our Martyred Lady have developed a cult of martyrdom that is unparalleled amongst the Adepta Sororitas. All Sororitas are taught that to die serving the Emperor is the purest fate His servants can hope for, but amongst the Sisters of Our Martyred Lady this ideal is expressed so fervently that it can appear to the uninitiated as though they have a death wish.
Isolated battle-sisters stand bravely against onrushing hordes of foes, hymns of defiance and reports of boltguns rising to a simultaneous crescendo -- and when the blades of the foe hack into the sisters' flesh, they give their souls willingly up to the God-Emperor. Such noble deaths are met with shouts of praise from the slain sisters' comrades, for it is by such unwavering loyalty and boundless faith that the Emperor's gaze is drawn to the battlefield. In the name of these martyrs, those who remain achieve feats that defy explanation, destroying foes of far greater numbers and transforming inevitable defeats into miraculous victories.
It is not only the slain warriors of their order that the sisters of Our Martyred Lady revere -- it is all who have given their life to preserve the sanctity of the Imperium. The sisters look to the example of their Matriarch -- who as a shield bearer placed the lives of others above her own -- and celebrate those warriors who embody the spirit of Saint Katherine in their defence of Mankind.
Through battle psalms they give praise to the Imperial Guardsmen, Space Marines and Tech-priests who have been slain fighting alongside them in their Wars of Faith. The bravest fallen soldiers are bestowed the same honour that the Order of Our Martyred Lady gives its own sisters -- their names are added to the order's hymns of vengeance, and are sung before combat to stoke the wrath of the Sororitas.
Notable Sisters of Our Martyred Lady[]
- Palatine Ariel - Palatine Ariel led her sisters through the Jericho-Maw Warp Gate and into the fallen Jericho Reach at the behest of Cardinal Cal. However, shortly after arriving she had a dream. In it she saw flesh-masked daemons cavorting atop fallen statues of the Emperor. Beyond them, a beam of light illuminated a tall mountain covered in interlocking Aquilas. Beneath the mountain, a foul black cloud swirled. Even as she watched, the daemonic hordes grew closer to the mountain, and she knew that if they were to discover the evil beneath it, the consequences would be catastrophic. When Ariel awoke, she was convinced the Emperor had revealed her real duty. Following their palatine's vision, her commandery braved the Warp storms around Eleusis and found the mountain she had seen. No one knows precisely what the Order of Our Martyred Lady found on Mount Sifr, but they are singularly devoted to protecting it from the unfaithful. Ariel has sworn a vow to allow only the confirmed faithful of the God-Emperor to pass through the gates of the Lethean Abbey, though her vision has made her suspicious of all who seek entrance. Since the construction of the defences around Mount Sift, Palatine Ariel has allowed no one to cross the threshold into the abbey, not even the Cardinal himself.
Saint Katherine, Matriarch and patron saint of the Order of Our Martyred Lady
- Saint Katherine (KIA) - Saint Katherine is the Matriarch and 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 and founder of the Adepta Sororitas. Known as the Shield Bearer, Katherine was regarded as Alicia Dominica's second-in-command having been the bearer of Dominica's Praesidium Protectiva - a large shield said to contain a shard of the Emperor's own personal power armour, and said to be impervious against physical attacks. Katherine was well known for her fiery determination and vengeful spirit, ever leading her Sisters at the forefront of innumerable battles and leading 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 reflected 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 fellow Sisters, sometime before her untimely death, Saint Katherine visited the world of Sanctus Lys in the Palatine Sector. Beneath an Imperial shrine, in a hidden crypt, she interred her golden power armour and her legendary sword, the Ardent Blade. These powerful artefacts were found centuries later and retrieved by another Living Saint, Saint Celestine.
- Saint Praxedes (KIA) - At the start of the Second Tyrannic War in 991.M41, Canoness Praxedes reinforced the Caladenian Regiment of the Astra Militarum on Okassis. She led the Imperial forces in defence of the cardinal palace and launched a gallant counterattack when the Tyranids reached the palace. She led from the front and managed to kill a Hive Tyrant, throwing the rest of the attack into disarray. This allowed many refugees to flee the planet and left Praxedes and her forces on the world. She proceeded to press deep into the heart of the Tyranid forces and led a guerrilla war against the Tyranids. The disruption she managed to cause meant that the attack on the spaceport by the Tyranids was nowhere near as effective as it should have been. This allowed the remaining civilians to flee the planet. All contact was lost with her forces once the last shuttle had taken off and she became known as the first martyr to Hive Fleet Kraken. Her name is revered across the Ultima Segmentum but some claim she fights on still against the hordes of Tyranids from within. She was finally confirmed killed in action on Okassis, where she succumbed to her mortal wounds after slaying the Hive Tyrant.
The Living Saint, Celestine, servant of the Emperor.
- Saint Celestine is a revered Living Saint of the Adepta Sororitas' Order of Our Martyred Lady, a being of incredible psychic power and faith believed by many in the Imperium of Man to be have been resurrected as a tool of the Emperor of Mankind Himself. As a mortal, she was thought slain during a campaign against the Renegade Warmaster of Forrax, but has returned at various times since to rescue Imperial forces in danger of being destroyed by the enemies of the God-Emperor. Wings spread wide, halo blazing and Ardent Blade in hand, Saint Celestine is an embodiment of the God-Emperor's might. She shines like a star amid the smoke and fumes of the battlefield, radiating holy light. The faithful are filled with strength and courage by her presence even as Heretics recoil in terror. Those who flee are wise to do so, for Celestine strikes like the Emperor's own judgement, smiting the unrighteous with a strength that belies her human form. With a gesture, the Living Saint calls fires of psychic retribution down from on high, or infuses her sick and injured allies with healing energies. The Geminae Superia fight at her side, the former Sororitas Canonesses Genevieve and Eleanor, hand-chosen champions who would lay down their lives -- and have, several times -- to protect the blessed saint from harm. Celestine is borne aloft on a column of divine radiance and sometimes attended by cherubs and doves. She is clad in a suit of shining golden Sororitas power armour, and wields a blade wreathed in fire -- a blade so bright none can bear to look upon it. All of noble heart who gaze upon Celestine and dare meet her eyes are filled with adoration, whilst those whose souls harbour evil and corruption are struck with terror. Celestine's influence upon the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, for whom she has become the focus of total veneration, is indeed miraculous. She is now a Living Saint, a mysterious warrior who appears in times of great need and whom the Sisters of Battle would willingly follow to the centre of the Eye of Terror were she to lead them there. Saint Celestine has fought at the vanguard of numerous Wars of Faith, and hundreds of thousands of Heretics have met a bloody end at the hands of her armies. It is said that she has fallen in combat several times, having been dealt a mortal blow by one of the Imperium's many enemies. However, each and every time she has miraculously returned to life, rising like a phoenix from the ashes. To the astounded faithful that see her rise again, Celestine has stated that she will die only when the Emperor Himself claims her, and not a moment before. Celestine's most recent and greatest intervention came in 999.M41, when she appeared on Cadia as it was under assault by Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade. She brought crucial reinforcements to the Imperial defenders and became one of the leaders of the Imperial survivors -- who named themselves the Celestinian Crusade in her honour -- after Cadia was destroyed by the forces of the Despoiler. With the aid of the newborn faction of the Eldar called the Ynnari, the Celestinian Crusade managed to flee the Cadia System through the Webway to the Realm of Ultramar and its capital world of Macragge. There, Celestine played an important role in the events that led to the resurrection of the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman. Celestine joined the Terran Crusade that Guilliman proclaimed, and fought alongside it all the way to Holy Terra so that the Primarch could meet with his father, the Emperor. Once at the Imperial Palace, Celestine swore to stand with the Guilliman, now the Lord Commander of the Imperium, as he promised to unleash a great counteroffensive -- the Indomitus Crusade -- against the forces of Chaos.
- Saint Valpurgis (KIA) - Valpurgis was a Celestian Superior of the order. She was known as the "Purgator of the Smotherpox" and the "Slayer of Witches." She was martyred during her service to the Emperor.
Miriael Sabathiel, the only corrupted battle-sister in Imperial history who is now a Chaos Champion of Slaanesh
- Miriael Sabathiel - Miriael Sabathiel was a former Sister-Superior of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and is the only acknowledged battle-sister to have willingly chosen to serve Chaos in the history of the Imperium of Man. Canoness Olga Karamanz tried to apprehend Miriael, proclaiming a desire to help her, but was murdered by Miriael for her troubles. Miriael now serves as a servant of the Pleasure God Slaanesh and is one of his finest and most prized Chaos Champions.
- Sister Piety - Born on the world of Jove's Descent, Sister Piety was an early convert to the Imperial Creed, and as a young girl (recently graduated from the Schola Progenium) served the Ecclesiarchy's mission throughout her home system. The mission’s preacher took the pious girl under his wing and blessed her with a new, more befitting name. Eventually he sponsored her admission into the Convent Sanctorum, and Piety has proved a most devoted Daughter of the Emperor. Piety bears the heavy title of Ward Sentinel; see the description of Javar's Watch for what this entails. Sister Piety’s duties have made her a shrewd and insightful woman. While her faith in the God-Emperor is unwavering and she trusts Palatine Ariel implicitly, the Ward Sentinel does not disdain the help of the Ecclesiarchy or the Inquisition as her Palatine does. In fact, Sister Piety has been in contact with Inquisitor Deschaine for several years—a fact that she has not shared with Palatine Ariel. In the course of her duties as Ward Sentinel, Sister Piety has permission to leave the Lethean Abbey and is encountered among the shrines of Vermillion's Grace far more frequently than any other member of the Adepta Sororitas.
- Petronella the Pious (KIA) - Petronella the Pious was a famed abbess of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, who was renowned for the miracles that occurred in her presence. Though the humble warrior never claimed to possess any unusual powers of worth, it seemed that the eye of the Emperor was ever upon her. Those who witnessed Petronella's abilities described her foes being consumed by holy fire, while the abbess' friends were spared from death by miraculous twists of good fortune. After the abbess' courageous martyrdom on Xyphol V, her skull was fashioned into a sacred totem by the Ecclesiarchy, to which her blessings still cling.
- Rosina the Astute (KIA) - Rosina the Astute was a canoness of the order who was martyred during her service to the Emperor. She is remembered a sa master tactician and the "Scourge of the Altymhor Dynasty."
- Cesti the Dawn-bringer (KIA) - Cesti was a Palatine of the order who was martyred during her service to the Emperor. She was known as the "Champion of Mordian" and the "Leader of the Dawn March."
- Gillith the Indomitable (KIA - Presumed) - Gillith was a battle-sister of the order who is presumed to have been martyred in the Emperor's service. She is remembered as a foe of the Drukhari, and the "Breaker of Shackles."
Ephrael Stern, The Daemonifuge
- 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 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 and 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 unknown.
Sister Miriya of the Order of Our Martyred Lady
- Miriya - Miriya was a Celestian Elohim (equivalent to the rank of Sergeant) who was originally tasked with passing judgment upon a newly rediscovered world of Hollos, which had been lost for two millennia, due to being cut off by a Warp Storm. During initial investigation she uncovered that Hollos was once a research colony that studied Replicae technology (cloning), and that Replicaes were utilised as soldiers to defend their world from incursions by the Forces of Chaos during the time Hollos was cut off from the rest of the galaxy. But over time, the chemical processes within their bodies that gave them red coloured skin and made them subservient, dissipated, until they developed free will. They rebuilt Hollos to be a pacifist society, shunning their role as soldiers in which they had been designed and forced to fulfill. Initially, Miriya was going to turn over all Replicaes to the Adeptus Mechanicus, per Imperial decree, which stated Replicae did not hold citizenship, therefore they had no civil rights. But she also uncovered a plot by the human citizens of Hollos who wished to overthrow the Replicae. These revolutionaries proved to be a cult of Tzeentch, who ended up staging a revolt. Declining to utilise orbital bombardment that would see the death of millions, Miriya instead ordered the Adeptus Mechanicus representative to release the chemical agent within the Replicae's neural chemistry that would make the them subservient and denied of free will once more. Unfortunately this process would be irreversible. Once this process was completed, the Replicae were ordered to stop the revolt, and did so without hesitation, fighting alongside Miriya and her fellow battle-sisters. Following these events, Miriya would later be assigned to bring the psyker, Torris Vaun, to justice. When he escaped her custody and murdered one of her comrades, Lethe, and tortured another, Iona, Miriya pursued him to the world of Neva. There, she and her remaining comrades discovered a greater plot threatening the entire Empire, and ultimately saw Vaun and his compatriot, Viktor LaHayne, defeated. Through interrogation, they learned of an even greater plot -- that Vaun was actually a product of experimentation of psykers. Miriya, her assistant Verity, and Battle-Sisters Cassandra and Isabel later uncovered and destroyed this plot. However, due to the methods utilised by Miriya and the ordeal with Vaun, she was relived of and stripped of her position as a Celestine elite and reduced to the rank of a line Sister of Battle by Canoness Galatea. Following this event, she later accepted a post as part of a mission to reclaim the abandoned Adepta Sororitas fortress-convent on Sanctuary 101, which had the misfortune of being the first to have contact with the marauding Necrons, who subsequently massacred all the battle-sisters that were present. Her assistant Verity agreed to accompany Miriya to help reconsecrate the convent.
Temperance Blaise of the Order of Our Martyred Lady was considered humourless and dark-tempered -- though those who saw her fight treated her with great respect.
- Temperance Blaise - Temperance Blaise was the Canoness Superior in charge of all Adepta Sororitas forces on Vigilus during the War of Beasts. She was known to possess a fiery temper and was so roundly feared by the powers that be on Vigilus that she was given free rein by the entire ruling Aquilarian Council to prosecute the Vigilus campaign as she saw fit. Beneath her was a network of trusted Canonesses and Celestian Superiors she had named "the Sacred Thorns," each of whom was entrusted with the defence of the Ecclesiarchy's interests in a different hivesprawl. Temperance was so enraged by the assault upon her world by foul xenos scum that in the early days of the war she did much of the fighting herself. Only as it became clear that the conflict would not be won by the Imperium quickly and would drag on as a stalemate for quite some time did her wrath cool. She resumed her duties as war leader and began to coordinate very closely with the elements of the Adeptus Astartes that came to Vigilus.
- Canoness Superior Junith Eruita - Junith Eruita was raised to become the canoness superior or leader of the entire Order of Our Martyred Lady during the Indomitus Crusade.
- Canoness Justyne - Justyne was the canoness who led a commandery of the Order of Our Martyred Lady as part of Battle Group Faustus of the Indomitus Crusade's Fleet Secundus during the campaign to retake control of the Bosphori System.
- Canoness Serita - Serita commanded the 3 preceptories of the Order of Our Martyred Lady who participated in the defence of the Cardinal World of Benediction's Grand Honorificum cathedral-city complex during the Talledus War.
Erika Luminas, palatine of the Order of Our Martyred Lady in combat.
- Palatine Erika Luminas - Erika Luminas is a palatine of the Order of Our Martyred Lady. She's a ferociously zealous and experienced war leader. Her dedication to the God-Emperor and to her order's martyr, Saint Katherine, manifests as fearlessness that many outside her order have mistaken for recklessness. Her sisters, who devotedly follow her curt battle cant and inspiring sermons in the deafening fog of war, know better. Luminas is possessed of a selfless dedication to service and an instinctive willingness to do whatever is necessary to enact the Emperor's will. In countless Wars of Faith, Luminas has turned apparent defeat into crushing victory, courageously storming enemy firepoints and assaulting the foe's elite warriors. Luminas inspires those sisters who survive to fervent acts of bravery, seeking any way to be by her side. In desperate last stands, the hands of the Emperor are believed by some to shield them, rewarding their faith with divine guidance. The palatine has led successful, though bloody, strikes against a host of enemies, yet none fill her with more rage than desecrators of the holy. When a sorcerous plague unleashed by the forces of the Death Guard began to ravage War Zone Metalica in the Charadon Sector during the Era Indomitus, Palatine Luminas and her forces were sent on a vital task to aid the Imperium. They were charged with finding the bones of an Imperial Saint, Saint Jheraldine, which would bolster a protective ward around its sector's most vital Imperial cities. Their search led them to the metropolis of Purity City on the Shrine World of Martyr's Rest, which unfortunately had just been turned into a deadly arena by Drukhari led by the Succubus Lelith Hesperax. This was because the Succubus intended to use Purity City as a battleground to prove once and for all that she was the best gladiator in Commorragh. Luminas' forces clashed with the Drukhari as the Adepta Sororitas searched the city for the saint's bones in what became known as the Battle of Martyr's Rest.
Sister Argenta of the Orders Pronatus of the Adepta Sororitas
- Sister Argenta - Argenta is a battle-sister currently of the Orders Pronatus and a former sister of the Order of Our Martyred Lady of the Adepta Sororitas currently serving in the retinue of the House von Valancius Rogue Trader dynasty in the Koronus Expanse of the Segmentum Obscurus. The terrible tread of gigantic Titans, the scream of Drop Pods entering the atmosphere -- these are the sounds that make the hearts of Heretics tremble. So too does prayer -- the holy battle prayer of the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas. Also known as the Sisters of Battle, these fierce and devoted women make up the militant arm of the Ecclesiarchy, the state church of the Imperium of Man. The orphaned daughter of Astra Militarum officers, the child that would become Sister Argenta received harsh training in the Schola Progenium -- the crucible of the Imperial military elite. Only one memory survived from before the ordeal of training -- or was it merely a dream? In this vision, the girl saw grey ship hulls and dirty military camps, dank trenches, faceless people in Astra Militarum uniforms, the roar of a counterattack, the crescendo of her mother's heart-rending cry, broken by an ominous silence...and the golden Aquila lying among the ashes, so immaculate, so alien in this gloomy and bleak environment. The symbol of the God-Emperor of Mankind. Somewhere in the malicious oceans of the Warp, the Emperor was fighting the Ruinous Powers of Chaos. For the young orphan, He became a semantic constant, an object of worship, an impeccable role model, the reason she had survived hell. Guided by this shining symbol, sure that she had been chosen for some great, as yet unknown, purpose, the girl proved herself time and time again in the Schola and ascended to the ranks of the Adepta Sororitas. Her birth name was forgotten, replaced by a new one -- Argenta, the name of a local saint worshipped in the Calixis Sector and the Koronus Expanse. A long and crooked path then led her to Footfall, where she was to join a small mission of her order to guard a holy reliquary. It seems that Argenta lives and breathes for one purpose -- to achieve perfection worthy of the Emperor's most faithful warriors. She is unstoppable, audacious -- sometimes too audacious. The battlefield is her temple, and bolter rounds are the words of her fervent prayer. When she rushes into battle, the ship's bulkheads reverberate with the passion of her prayers, and her allies feel the surge of power. But what led the young sister away from her duties as a guardian of the reliquary? Was it a holy epiphany or a fall from grace? This remains a tightly held secret...
Order Appearance[]
Order Colours[]
Sigil of the Order of Our Martyred Lady
The Order of Our Martyred Lady wore black power armour with black vestments that possessed red linings from the death of Saint Katherine until the end of the Third War for Armageddon in 998.M41.
They currently wear black power armour and red vestments, with the red intended to honour the sacrifice of the battle-sisters who died on Armageddon.
In the past their weaponry has also been painted a distinctive red.
Order Badge[]
The iconography of the order is that of an ankh with a white skull placed in the centre of the ankh's circular head.
Videos[]
Sources[]
- Codex: Adepta Sororitas (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 15, 20, 139
- Codex: Adepta Sororitas (8th Edition), pp. 18-19, 37-39, 100
- Codex: Necrons (3rd Edition), pp. 11, 22
- Codex: Sisters of Battle (2nd Edition), pp. 18-19, 35, 60
- Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pp. 6-7, 19, 43
- Dark Heresy: Blood of Martyrs (RPG), pp. 80, 85-86, 88
- Deathwatch: Rising Tempest (RPG), pp. 46-47, 56, 124-125
- Gathering Storm - Book One - Fall of Cadia (7th Edition), pp. 6-88, pg. 122
- Gathering Storm - Book Three - Rise of the Primarch (7th Edition), pp. 4-93
- The Citadel Journal 49, pg. 23
- White Dwarf 293 (UK), "Liber Sororitas - Matriarchs of the Sisterhood," by Andy Hoare, pg. 56
- White Dwarf 379 (UK), "Codex: Sisters of Battle (5th Edition), Parts 1 and 2"
- Daemonifuge (Graphic Novel)
- Faith and Fire (Short Story) by James Swallow
- Cain's Last Stand (Novel) by Sandy Mitchell
- Tales from the Dark Millennium (Anthology) , "The Invitation" by Dan Abnett
- Third War for Armageddon Worldwide Campaign - Forces Disposition, Imperial Forces: Order of Our Martyred Lady
- Imperium Nihilus - Vigilus Defiant (8th Edition), pp. 94-95
- White Dwarf 35 (July 2019), "Indomitus Crusade Fleets," pg. 45
- White Dwarf 39 (November 2019), "Dawn of the Era Indomitus," pg. 50
- Psychic Awakening - Faith & Fury (8th Edition), pp. 13-15
- Warhammer 40,000: Piety and Pain - Rulebook (9th Edition), pg. 5
- Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (PC Game)
Gallery[]
| Adepta Sororitas Orders Militant | |
|---|---|
| Orders Majoris | Order of the Argent Shroud • Order of the Bloody Rose • Order of the Ebon Chalice • Order of Our Martyred Lady • Order of the Sacred Rose • Order of the Valorous Heart |
| Orders Minoris | Order of the Black Sepulchre • Order of the Blue Robe • Order of the Crimson Oath • Order of the Bleeding Heart • Order of the Fiery Tear • Order of the Glowing Chalice • Order of the Thorn • Order of the Iron Veil • Order of the Ashen Shrine • Order of the Wounded Heart • Order of the Golden Light • Order of the Divine Perfection |