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Do battle sisters speak?

For some reason I believe its an audio tape makes me think that they dont.

They do,

There are plenty of examples of them speaking in the fluff (and it think they get rather repetitively vocal in DOW).

You might be thinking of the Sisters of Silence, or maybe not

Yes. Usually in prayer and battle cant, but yes.

You're thinking of Sisters of Silence, a Horus Heresy era organization.

Thank you both

Ascalam wrote:and it think they get rather repetitively vocal in DOW

Repetetive, but awesome.

The best voice is, of course, the Canoness. She's practically drooling zeal!

True nuff

I'm an old Sisters player (though i don't have them at present..) and my Exorcists used to have speakers in them to pump chanty-chanty from an MP3 player

If they ever get the plastic treatment and a proper codex again i'll just have to re-collect them all




*edit- apparently i can't type today **

That Canoness sounds like the native of Atlantis.. now to find their names.... Nope, can't find the Canoness, but the princes of Atlantis is played by Cree Summers. Her voice should be in a Warhammer game if it isn't already, she's awesome.

Melissia wrote:Yes. Usually in prayer and battle cant, but yes.

You're thinking of Sisters of Silence, a Horus Heresy era organization.

^ This

Something you may also wish to know is that, despite the fact that many people believe it, Sisters of Battle are not required to remain celibate. Someone is going to ask for my source, so, its in the Ciaphas Cain novel Cain's Last Stand.

Ciaphas Cain is a good source for Sisters just like Space Wolf lore is a good place to learn about thousand sons.

Sisters can't always do it for themselves... Well, some of them probably could I suppose

Melissia wrote:Ciaphas Cain is a good source for Sisters just like Space Wolf lore is a good place to learn about thousand sons.

The sisters probably don't have to be celibate, but they also probably just don't care, much like space marines.

TheCrazyCryptek wrote:Something you may also wish to know is that, despite the fact that many people believe it, Sisters of Battle are not required to remain celibate. Someone is going to ask for my source, so, its in the Ciaphas Cain novel Cain's Last Stand.

A novel that directly contradicts GW studio sources. Make of that what you will.

Kain wrote:The sisters probably don't have to be celibate, but they also probably just don't care, much like space marines.

Unless it's Ciaphas Cain.

Lynata wrote:

TheCrazyCryptek wrote:Something you may also wish to know is that, despite the fact that many people believe it, Sisters of Battle are not required to remain celibate. Someone is going to ask for my source, so, its in the Ciaphas Cain novel Cain's Last Stand.

A novel that directly contradicts GW studio sources. Make of that what you will.

Although to be honest, I'm never actually heard of them being required to be celibate either. Can you give me a source? No offense, but I really don't know either way.

Melissia wrote:

You're thinking of Sisters of Silence, a Horus Heresy era organization.

But so far, we don't know whether or not the Silent Sisters were disbanded or still man the Black Ships.

I don't think that Sisters who have had sex will get much worse than being looked down on by their virginal peers for allowing themselves to be distracted, there's nothing that says that they can't use what little free time they have for that purpose. It's just that most of them don't even bother because they think it would be a waste of time.

Tadashi wrote:Although to be honest, I'm never actually heard of them being required to be celibate either. Can you give me a source? No offense, but I really don't know either way.

It's mere conjecture - well, largely. The Sisterhood has always been described as "a penitent organisation where constant hardship, deprivation and arduous work are part of an unrelenting devotional regime" (Rogue Trader, Codex Imperialis, 2E Codex SoB, 4E rulebook, ...). Their convents practice utter isolation from any outsiders, and even the 5E WD minidex mentions that they either fight, pray or train.

This level of dedication as well as voluntary deprivation and humiliation (the 3E rulebook goes so far as to claim that the Sisters believe that "the purpose of life is to suffer, for in suffering we are one with the God-Emperor") is, to me, simply not compatible with an attitude like the one presented in that Cain novel you are referring to. Or indeed the very concept of enjoying intercourse for fun. As if they'd have nothing else to do!

That's not the contradiction I was referring to - the book's "leeway" becomes more obvious in how it handles the non-existing gender segregation at the Schola, or how the Commissars have a "class" instead of being trained in the field like it was once described by GW. Minor points, but they make it obvious that the novel simply presents a different interpretation of the setting than the Codex material, so I will extend my reservation on its stance on Sororitas sex as well.

People who prefer the Cain version are free to do so, they just should be aware that it doesn't swing as well with the vision of their original creators.

If you'd wish to extend it to other licensed material, however, FFG's Inquisitor's Handbook does include a line stating that "Sororitas are chaste", so at the very least you'd have outsourced publication vs outsourced publication.

Tadashi wrote:But so far, we don't know whether or not the Silent Sisters were disbanded or still man the Black Ships.

The Witch Hunter Codex as well as Battlefleet Gothic mention that the Black Ships of M41 are manned by Inquisition Storm Troopers and Sisters of Battle. If you place some value in novel fluff, James Swallow's "Faith & Fire" also mentions that the Adeptus Astra Telepathica is banned from policing its own vessels (the Black Ships) - and the SoS were the militant arm of this organisation.

The Sisters of Silence are not mentioned virtually anywhere outside of their part in the Horus Heresy series. There is not a single GW studio source that even acknowledges their existence, ever. Mayhaps people place too much emphasis on "yet another Black Library idea". This is something that every fan has to decide for him- or herself, though. After all, lack of canon means that 40k is what you make out of it.

I'll have to dig it up again, but there's a quote... and I want to say it's on one of those side-bar, grey-shaded text boxes in a Codex or an article or something along those lines that always has the in-universe flavor-text, as that is the image that comes to mind in my brain... that reads "Cleave only unto the Emperor".

The meaning of that statement, lifted almost directly from Biblical sources, is an oath of sexual fidelity. This in addition to the fact that they're quite obviously based around Catholic nuns, who do have traditional vows of celibacy and chastity (I'm lead to understand that certain real-world orders may have relaxed this position, but if this is true, I cannot find a source for it. Also, I'm not Catholic.).

Psienesis wrote:This in addition to the fact that they're quite obviously based around Catholic nuns, who do have traditional vows of celibacy and chastity [...]

Not to mention Jeanne d'Arc, the Virgin of Orléans.

I really like the Sisters of Silence but yeah there is very very little about them save in the Horus Heresy art books and novels - sad really :(

Maybe Forgeworld will do a model set and some basic rules for the Sisters of Silence when they do their Horus Heresy supplement.

that for me would be awesome

CKO wrote:Do battle sisters speak?

For some reason I believe its an audio tape makes me think that they dont.

I first read the thread title as "Do battle sisters squeak? and thought "what an odd question". Yes, they do speak. In fact I found my WD with the Massacre at Sanctuary 101 battle report. The Sisters spoke mainly to pass orders, and the Canoness to inspire her troops. Then the Canoness was the only member of the squad to fail her saving throw.

As for battle sisters squeaking, they probably can, but don't since squeaking is so not grimdark.

Lynata wrote:
The Witch Hunter Codex as well as Battlefleet Gothic mention that the Black Ships of M41 are manned by Inquisition Storm Troopers and Sisters of Battle. If you place some value in novel fluff, James Swallow's "Faith & Fire" also mentions that the Adeptus Astra Telepathica is banned from policing its own vessels (the Black Ships) - and the SoS were the militant arm of this organisation.

The Sisters of Silence are not mentioned virtually anywhere outside of their part in the Horus Heresy series. There is not a single GW studio source that even acknowledges their existence, ever. Mayhaps people place too much emphasis on "yet another Black Library idea". This is something that every fan has to decide for him- or herself, though. After all, lack of canon means that 40k is what you make out of it.

Typical (insert sound of disgust). And the fact that the HH novels are supposed to be canon just makes the picture murkier.

Tadashi wrote:Typical (insert sound of disgust). And the fact that the HH novels are supposed to be canon just makes the picture murkier.

Perhaps they are the studio's current idea for the Heresy, though even then that's not the same as "canon" (did you see ADB's posts in the other Sisters thread?). Either way, it is actually not very difficult to find a solution and avoid a conflict, even if you want to hold on to the idea of the SoS once having existed:
They may have simply ceased to exist due to having incurred heavy lossed during the Heresy. The organisation was formally disbanded and the surviving members joined the Inquisition or the Officio Assassinorum. Blanks are supposed to be rare, after all, and it may have simply been regarded as ineffective to wait several decades until they are back to strength when there are other Imperial bodies having a need for such operatives right now. This would also be in line with the Codex fluff about the Assassinorum's recruitment of Culexus candidates.

On the other hand, simply assuming that the SoS still exist and not caring about the Codex fluff would be just as much of a valid interpretation. It all comes down to which sources you use and what end result makes the most sense to you. Keep in mind, however, that even small changes to the fluff may have far-reaching consequences that need to be accounted for in one's personal vision of the 41st millennium. It can be fun cherrypicking, though. I've added some Black Library ideas to my own interpretation as well, even if I'm still sticking to 99% GW fluff.

Ancestral Hamster wrote:I first read the thread title as "Do battle sisters squeak?

Oh boy. This made me remember the Sororitas Fangirls in the background.

I just realized....The Horus Heresy novels aren't finished yet. Perhaps the Sisters of Silence are killed to a woman in the Heresy? That would certainly explain their not being in M.41.

TheCrazyCryptek wrote:I just realized....The Horus Heresy novels aren't finished yet. Perhaps the Sisters of Silence are killed to a woman in the Heresy? That would certainly explain their not being in M.41.

They would have to explain why they were never reformed though.

Kain wrote:

TheCrazyCryptek wrote:I just realized....The Horus Heresy novels aren't finished yet. Perhaps the Sisters of Silence are killed to a woman in the Heresy? That would certainly explain their not being in M.41.

They would have to explain why they were never reformed though.

Perhaps it was just as Lynata said - they were either absorbed into the Inquisition or the Culexus Temple. Or they were simply wiped out in the Siege of Terra. After all, they were pretty decimated at the fiasco at Prospero and the fighting retreat out of the Webway.

Lynata wrote:

Tadashi wrote:

Ancestral Hamster wrote:I first read the thread title as "Do battle sisters squeak?

Oh boy. This made me remember the Sororitas Fangirls in the background.

Thanks, that and other items were entertaining. OTOH, it was almost as bad as getting linked to TVTropes: was at 1d4Chan for three hours. Well, now I know where Lolicron comes from!

Ancestral Hamster wrote:other items were entertaining

"Other items", eh?

Ancestral Hamster wrote:OTOH, it was almost as bad as getting linked to TVTropes: was at 1d4Chan for three hours. Well, now I know where Lolicron comes from!

Indeed. Valuable knowledge!

Also be sure to check out Brighthammer.

Sororitas don't speak.

In fact, they don't even breathe.

They just lay around inanimate until the Grey Knights and the Necrons decide to slaughter them.

Not everyone's heard it but the Audiobooks do describe one group of sisters of battle that all took vows of silence in the current M40-42 time line (different than the origional sisters of silence). They are a unique order /chapter/sept/division (what have you) of battle sisters that have that as their defining trait much like the Ebon Rose/crimson heart/etc.
Most other battle sisters do infact talk normally. Also, just to be clear, there are also sisters famulous who's job is basically to be diplomats and talk a ton. Also Hospitillars form another group and so far we have not met any that don't talk yet. I think there's another group, diaglougus? or something? I can't remember what they do exactly. Something about researching or something? Can't remember.