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What happens if a ship carrying Sisters of Battle get caught in a warp anomaly and get sent back to the Great Crusade? Obviously, considering that the Great Crusade-era Imperium was secular, carnage would ensue, which would just get worse if an Astartes Legion is dispatched. And sooner or later, when the sisters get subdued and made to meet the Emperor, how would they react? Would they deny the Emperor as 'false' and not the 'God-Emperor' they worship? Or will they break down once he makes them realize their faith is false?

I imagine that, at least at the start, they would cry heresy because of the Space Marine legions.

They would probably then get the same sort of treatment that Lorgar was getting.

The Emperor would sequester them on Terra and they would not be heard from again.

Allow me to further elaborate on the OP. A ship carrying enough sisters for a small Crusade ends up getting thrown back to the Great Crusade by a warp anomaly. They help the Imperial Army fight off a xenos invasion, then help re-build. Only then do they realize that this 'Imperial Army' is apparently unaware of the 'God-Emperor', and try to convert them and the local populace to the Imperial Cult. Tensions rise as a significant number of people are converted (even I have to admit their missionary zeal and appeal is not something to be underestimated) but most of the Imperial Army refuse to accept it, no thanks to the presence of several Iterators, who succeed in countering and even twisting the sisters' message. Finally, full-scale war breaks out, and eventually reaches the point that additional Imperial Army units are sent and the Emperor's attention has been drawn (considering it was a warp anomaly that sent them back, the Emperor would be more than a little curious).

You don't need to "further elaborate".

The answer would be the same:
They'd vanish.

Kanluwen wrote:You don't need to "further elaborate".

The answer would be the same:
They'd vanish.

That's it? No Last Church-style conversation with the Emperor that ends in tears and despair? No Monarchia-style rebuttal? Won't they get interrogated at least as to the nature of the 'when' they came from? I mean, it'd be obvious they have a connection the Imperium, and I'm sure the Emperor would be more than a little concerned how his dream of a secular and progressive society became a bunch of zealots.

The Soroitas are agents of the true faith. The Emperor would have no reason to persecute them.

Manchu wrote:The Soroitas are agents of the true faith. The Emperor would have no reason to persecute them.

Hmm. This is an interesting statement.

The Emperor of Heresy days would certainly be curious to meet them if they indeed were from dun dun DUN THE FUTURE!

I tend to agree with the sequestered or disappeared approach though. He would know that they are true servants and that they are telling the truth, but their very existence is testament to the failure of the dream. He would give them a place of honor, but that honor would not extend to allowing everyone else to know about them.

My guess is that they would 'serve' the emperor by hanging out with Rogal Dorn and recounting every story they know of the Heresy. As soon as Dorn caught any glimpse of their existence, he would be all over that like white on rice. They would soon be very sick of recounting every bit of history they have ever heard every minute of the day. Such is the price of service, I suppose.

It would be very interesting to know if their faith powers still worked in the time of the Heresy. That would all depend on whether faith is internal to the faithful or external (i.e. Emperor provided).


Automatically Appended Next Post:
A more broad questions that is pretty difficult is when they come back to. Do they come back pre-Prospero? Pre-Istavaan? Pre-Monarchia? Pre-Ullanor?

How much do the sisters (or anyone from 40k) remember of the Heresy? They certainly know which legions turn from the Emperor. They know who was at Istvaan. They know about Horus. They probably don't know about Erebus, but he was just a tool. They don't know the details of how the Primarchs fell, just that they fell.

Would the Emperor listen? If the Emperor wouldn't, would Malcador? Would one of the Primarchs? (Again, I think depending on timing, Dorn would be very receptive to any information they had.)

A lot of what-ifs.

Faith is internal, definitely. But they don't really have "faith powers" so much as they are extremely faithful and practice a superior form of martial arts; the unbelievable levels of training they go through, combined with the insane levels of motivation the faith gives them, results in them performing deeds that are "miraculous to the unschooled", to use C:WH's statement.

Actual miracles are much rarer and probably caused by either luck or the Emperor's intervention.

Last what if... Could you imagine if it was the Word Bearers, pre-Monarchia, who found them?

Absolutely faith confronted with proof that their faith is legit. Suddenly, even if Monarchia still goes down, the Word Bearers know that they must be faithful, after all, they have proof of the end game.

pretre wrote:their very existence is testament to the failure of the dream.

Or it's success ...

Either way, he'd put them under wraps.

Melissia wrote:Faith is internal, definitely. But they don't really have "faith powers" so much as they are extremely faithful and practice a superior form of martial arts; the unbelievable levels of training they go through, combined with the insane levels of motivation the faith gives them, results in them performing deeds that are "miraculous to the unschooled", to use C:WH's statement.

Actual miracles are much rarer and probably caused by either luck or the Emperor's intervention.

I am not sure that the 'internal-ness' of Faith has ever been clearly defined. As well, there are certainly the miracles that you mention that don't explain everything.

Superior martial arts and training don't explain being able to shrug off a lascannon shot to the face when the pinnacle of gene-technology and training would be evaporated.


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Manchu wrote:

pretre wrote:their very existence is testament to the failure of the dream.

Or it's success ...

Either way, he'd put them under wraps.

Very true. It all comes down to the old question 'How much did the big E know about and when?'

They might show up and try to warn him only to have him look sadly at them with those eyes and say "I know. My daughters, have faith."

pretre wrote:I am not sure that the 'internal-ness' of Faith has ever been clearly defined. As well, there are certainly the miracles that you mention that don't explain everything.
Superior martial arts and training don't explain being able to shrug off a lascannon shot to the face when the pinnacle of gene-technology and training would be evaporated.

It's true - you have to look carefully at the codices, however, for it really is a matter of very delicate wording - such as the Codex giving the source of the Sisters abilities as "their faith and devotion manifesting as a potent force in itself". A peculiar detail is that whenever the origin of Acts of Faith is discussed, it is always said to be the faith, not the Emperor. And since the Sisters cannot be psykers (Schola screening), that would not leave a lot of other options.

Also, what you mentioned about "shrugging off a lascannon shot to the face" is not exactly invulnerability. They still get wounded (nowhere in the tabletop it is defined that the attack needs to be a direct hit to the face) and thus "threatened to be eliminated as an active unit" - in case of a successful Act of Faith, they just refuse to succumb to their injury there and then, instead moving on where other people would collapse into unconsciousness, lie down screaming for their mum, or simply give up and die.
There are tales of similar heroics from actual wars on Earth - obviously not involving lascannons, but you get the idea. In short, it's kind of like the "Feel No Pain" rule.

That said, given the wording, I suppose another alternative to a non-supernatural origin would be some sort of Imperial Waaagh field like the Orks generate. Sounds a bit strange, but I guess it's a valid interpretation.

As to the actual question in this thread (I am still suspicious as to its actual purpose) ... personally, I suppose it's safe to say that any such Sisters would be locked away, perhaps even killed. For some reason, the Emperor doesn't strike me as a merciful leader, instead being very pragmatic and quite willing to endure the suffering of individual humans if it serves his greater goal, which is the protection of mankind as a whole. Maybe he would hear them out regarding stories from the future, or maybe he'd just think it'd be a trick to deceive him.

Lynata: You know, the Emperor is a psyker, and so he can probably read their minds to see if they're telling the truth.

pretre wrote:Superior martial arts and training don't explain being able to shrug off a lascannon shot to the face when the pinnacle of gene-technology and training would be evaporated.

Maybe they're just better at making cover saves.

Melissia wrote:Lynata: You know, the Emperor is a psyker, and so he can probably read their minds to see if they're telling the truth.

Hmm, valid point, though given how the Horus Heresy - engineered by none other than his most trusted generals - thwarted his plans he is obviously not omniscient, and the Sisters have a built-in resistance against psyker stuff.
Could work, or maybe not. Without further information I won't tie myself down to either option. The whole scenario is rather crazy, anyways.

Had a built in resistance to psyker stuff.

pretre wrote:Had a built in resistance to psyker stuff.

Lalalaaaa I can't hear you over all the awesome old fluff!

lmao. Ahh, psychic saves. Wouldn't be too horrible to see an Errata in the next FAQ update

"Whoops! We forgot this paragraph:

All SoB units get a 5+ Deny the Witch save. Psykers attached to an SoB unit or nearby psychic hoods cannot modify the DtW save of an SoB unit."

or, if you really want to make psykers cry:
"Psykers attached to an SoB unit or nearby psychic hoods cannot modify the DtW save of an SoB unit. However, the DtW roll is modified by the following:
+1 if the unit is led by a superior or mistress
+1 if the unit is joined by an SoB IC
+1 if the unit has taken at least 1 casualty."

Why are thinking of the SoB fighting the Emperor? If he said "die" they'd fire their bolters into their own mouths. Yeah, I realize that would be physically difficult, maybe even impossible. That's how devoted they are to him.

Manchu wrote:Why are thinking of the SoB fighting the Emperor? If he said "die" they'd fire their bolters into their own mouths. Yeah, I realize that would be physically difficult, maybe even impossible. That's how devoted they are to him.

Who said anything about the SOB fighting the Emperor?

Not fighting, sorry, "resisting" I guess (although it sounds a bit sordid).

Yeah, I don't think they would resist in any way. They would do whatever he asked, even if it was sit in a cell for the next hundred years and answer all of Dorn's questions.

I agree, assuming they didn't simply die of ecstasy from standing in his presence.

Nah, I think Sisters would play it a bit cooler than that.

Big E would be all "Hey ladies... Heard you think I'm the God Emperor of Man and an all-around pretty cool dude."
And the SoB would play coy and be all "Yeah, I guess. You're alright for a God Emperor. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing..."

If the Sororitas ended up in the 30K galaxy they would instantly be branded as "mutated Humans", just like the Interex, and wiped out to a man, just like the Interex. And that's it. They would never even meet the Emperor.

Pre-Heresey Imperium was pretty cut and dry about how they did things back then.

BlaxicanX wrote:If the Sororitas ended up in the 30K galaxy they would instantly be branded as "mutated Humans", just like the Interex, and wiped out to a man, just like the Interex. And that's it.

Pre-Heresey Imperium was pretty cut and dry about how they did things back then.

How is their human strain any different from 30k strain? The 40k universe shows little to no evidence of evolution (beyond psychic powers, which SoB obviously don't have) over the course of 10,000 years.

Soo.... Citation needed.

pretre wrote:Nah, I think Sisters would play it a bit cooler than that.

I think it would go down something like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_Saint_Teresa

You know, with the Emperor rather than a dainty cherub.

Yeah, probably. If you want to be all serious about it.

pretre wrote:

BlaxicanX wrote:If the Sororitas ended up in the 30K galaxy they would instantly be branded as "mutated Humans", just like the Interex, and wiped out to a man, just like the Interex. And that's it.

Pre-Heresey Imperium was pretty cut and dry about how they did things back then.

How is their human strain any different from 30k strain? The 40k universe shows little to no evidence of evolution (beyond psychic powers, which SoB obviously don't have) over the course of 10,000 years.

Soo.... Citation needed.

Doesn't have anything to do with their biology being different.

It has to do with their culture. Just like the Interex.

@pretre: Read the section of that article titled "Interpretation" to get the joke.