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I have read on the 'net' that there is no imperial mention of what happened to the Sister's of Silence. I would think that such a powerful order would be useful to the Imperium. I suppose that maybe they were submerged into the Inquisition. That is only speculation. I am also thinking--if the 'blanks' that are often found in Dan Abnet's work are offspring of this once powerful organization. Any thoughts?

They went quiet...

The most prominent theory is that they went on to crew the Black Ships, but thats just a theory, not a fact.

LOL!! @Engine of war!!!
@Beaviz81--I have heard that theory too. It would be a good place for them---but why not use them as they once were? They would be effective against Chaos...they would be helpful to the Adeptus Sororitas or other branches of the Inquisition. Just sayin....

They definitely crewed the Black Ships during the heresy didn't they? I remember the Black Ships and sisters of silence in one of the heresy stories, either Flight of the Eisenstein, or Serpent Beneath when they're hunting for that witch woman I think.

I agree, you as usual make sense, but not everything that make sense is fluff. And unfortunately when it comes to fluff I'm much like Stannis. Plus them hunting for the ever growing population of psykers makes sense. Their numbers swell with each generation as is written in the very core of the rules so I can see them being used for just that.

EDIT that was directed at lordseamus of course.

 lordseamus wrote:
LOL!! @Engine of war!!!
@Beaviz81--I have heard that theory too. It would be a good place for them---but why not use them as they once were? They would be effective against Chaos...they would be helpful to the Adeptus Sororitas or other branches of the Inquisition. Just sayin....

Because they're Blanks, which have an innate "wrongness" about them that is both unnatural and quite overwhelming. Blanks are a sort of Psyker that has, as its sole power, the ability to shut down other Psykers... the Sisters of Battle hate Psykers. Of any kind.

They probably continue to crew the Black Ships, along with other Untouchables... their numbers might grow, but not by much. If 1 in 1 million humans is born a Psyker, 1 in 1 million of those born as Psykers are born as Blanks, and Blanks, just like Psykers, come in varying power levels. So there's probably 1 in 1 trillion people that are a) female, b) an Untouchable, c) a powerful Untouchable, d) Found by the Psykana/Inquisition before they are killed by their fellow Imperial citizens and e) Sent to serve on the Black Ships rather than elsewhere (like an Inquisitor's retinue).

 Psienesis wrote:

 lordseamus wrote:
LOL!! @Engine of war!!!
@Beaviz81--I have heard that theory too. It would be a good place for them---but why not use them as they once were? They would be effective against Chaos...they would be helpful to the Adeptus Sororitas or other branches of the Inquisition. Just sayin....

Because they're Blanks, which have an innate "wrongness" about them that is both unnatural and quite overwhelming. Blanks are a sort of Psyker that has, as its sole power, the ability to shut down other Psykers... the Sisters of Battle hate Psykers. Of any kind.

They probably continue to crew the Black Ships, along with other Untouchables... their numbers might grow, but not by much. If 1 in 1 million humans is born a Psyker, 1 in 1 million of those born as Psykers are born as Blanks, and Blanks, just like Psykers, come in varying power levels. So there's probably 1 in 1 trillion people that are a) female, b) an Untouchable, c) a powerful Untouchable, d) Found by the Psykana/Inquisition before they are killed by their fellow Imperial citizens and e) Sent to serve on the Black Ships rather than elsewhere (like an Inquisitor's retinue).

Gotta correct this. Blanks aren't psykers whose sole ability is shutting down other psykers. Their ANTI-psykers. They function in the exact opposite way as psykers. Psykers are beings that have a stronger than normal presence in the Warp and can tap into the Warp and use its power. Blanks have NO presence in the warp, which is otherwise unheard of among living things. They're soulless, which is why they unnerve people so much. Even normal people with no psychic ability have a presence in the Warp. Blanks have none, and feel wrong to ordinary people because of it. Extreme blanks (pariahs) actually create what amounts to a mini-black hole in the warp, and not only kill psykers that they get close to, but reduce brave men to sniveling wrecks as they feel the pariah's total absence of warp presence tearing at their souls.

Blanks are not, in any way, psykers. Normal humans with no pyschic potential are closer to psykers than blanks are. But SoB's might still have issues with them, since their so different from good, normal humans, and Imperial dogma trains people to look at different as bad.

From Laurie Goulding,

"We do not presently know what happened to them. Certainly, it seems that they no longer existed by the time the Ecclesiarchy rose to power (late M32-ish). They definitely do not exist by M41 - sorry! "

I recall 'the blank' Elspeth (I think) Bequin in the Eisenhorn series. I have often wondered if she would have been a descendant or carried the 'blank gene' that I have been reading about in regards to the silent sisterhood. I know that the emperor used them--I am guessing that they did not unnerve his psychic ability but often masked it much the way that Eisenhorn used Bequin and Ravenor did. Ravenor had--a guy--I think--whose name I cannot recall at present. Which brings up the topic as well--the 'blank gene' seems to be able to be in both males and females--while the canon seems to indicate that, at least in the 31st millennium it is only present in females...??? I like the silent sisterhood--wish we knew more about them.


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It would be great to see some official miniatures of the silent sisterhood. I have done some conversions using a mixture of Dark Eldar and other miniature bits to produce a couple of squads.

They could have also been seconded to the Officio Assasinorum. There are two groups that are listed as sealed by the inquisition, and there are of course the culexus assasins who are also 'blanks'.

Noc

All Culexus Assassins are blanks. It's a requirement for the Culexus temple.

Interesting---I did not know the culexus were 'blanks.' Are all of them 'blanks?'


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Interesting---I did not know the culexus were 'blanks.' Are all of them 'blanks?'


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Oops...sorry for the repeat.


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So they all are 'blanks.' I didn't know that. So black ships, operatives for the inquisition and assassins are all possible places for where the sisterhood went. It would be nice to have some official clarification on that. I think the Sister's of Silence are an interesting 'faction' in the Warhammer 40K universe. Just wish we knew more about them.

 lordseamus wrote:
So they all are 'blanks.' I didn't know that. So black ships, operatives for the inquisition and assassins are all possible places for where the sisterhood went. It would be nice to have some official clarification on that. I think the Sister's of Silence are an interesting 'faction' in the Warhammer 40K universe. Just wish we knew more about them.

See my previous post from Laurie Goulding. Have the original post as well: http://z13.invisionfree.com/The_First_Expedition/index.php?showtopic=977&st=0&#entry22089345

 lordseamus wrote:

It would be great to see some official miniatures of the silent sisterhood. I have done some conversions using a mixture of Dark Eldar and other miniature bits to produce a couple of squads.

Forge World are going to do them along with the Custodes when they do the Prospero book.

I can understand their use on the black ships. It would be much easier to capture psykers if you can shut their powers down, but at the same time, wouldn't a blank be increasingly dangerous for a psyker with prolonged confinement with one? The psykers presumably no black ship for a long time before they are fed to the big E, so the blanks would need to be present in the confinement area to stop any psykers utilising their powers to cause issues, but the fluff states that contact with them can also kill psykers.... Must not have the alpha level blanks on the ship, or they have other means to shut the psykers down on the ship without damaging them.

No one knows where they went. They have the unusual origin of being made up for the heresy series without existing in 40k.

I think they may all die. .. but hopefully some author will eventually write something more interesting

 ImAGeek wrote:
They definitely crewed the Black Ships during the heresy didn't they? I remember the Black Ships and sisters of silence in one of the heresy stories, either Flight of the Eisenstein, or Serpent Beneath when they're hunting for that witch woman I think.

You are correct, it was Flight of the Eisenstein.

Perhaps they were wiped out during the Heresy?

Beaviz81 wrote:The most prominent theory is that they went on to crew the Black Ships, but thats just a theory, not a fact.

'went on'?

The Silent Sisterhood guarded the Black Ships. Its what they did. They were the military arm of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, who owned the Black Ships and were solely responsible for the Black Ships.

What on earth they did for guards between .M32 and .M36, I do not know.

I think the Sisters of Silence were disbanded shortly after the end of the Heresy. Their duty on the Black Ships now falls on Scions, Sisters of Battle and other Sanctionned Psykers. The Sisters of Silence main base of operation was on the moon which was destroyed by Horus just prior to the Siege of Terra. Many of them survived and did participated in the defence of the Imperial Palace, but they took such severe casualties overall and have such strict and difficult requirements for recruitment that in the post Heresy Imperium, it was impossible for the survivors to recover from their casualty. The organisation died a slow, honorable and quiet death. At least, that's my hypothesis.

@Jareddm thank you that's good stuff!!!

 Furyou Miko wrote:

Beaviz81 wrote:The most prominent theory is that they went on to crew the Black Ships, but thats just a theory, not a fact.

'went on'?

The Silent Sisterhood guarded the Black Ships. Its what they did. They were the military arm of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, who owned the Black Ships and were solely responsible for the Black Ships.

What on earth they did for guards between .M32 and .M36, I do not know.

If it is fact, then great, just find the citation. As I file this under I'm wishfully thinking ATM as I'm beholden to this theory on a personal level.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sisters_of_Silence

Horus Heresy: Collected Visions wrote:
The main purpose of the Sisters of Silence was therefore to seek out and apprehend psykers. As warrior-investigators they could involved in all aspects of the capture and transportation of psychic individuals and could almost always be found among the crew of the Black Ships.[1]

 Psienesis wrote:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sisters_of_Silence

Horus Heresy: Collected Visions wrote:
The main purpose of the Sisters of Silence was therefore to seek out and apprehend psykers. As warrior-investigators they could involved in all aspects of the capture and transportation of psychic individuals and could almost always be found among the crew of the Black Ships.[1]

I have read it, its a favored theory, but nothing else even if I think so. Plus if you scroll up I have actually argued that already along with that they would be used to cull the increasing numbers of psykers and pull them back to Terra so Empy could get a face-to-face as I harkens to this:

The eventual fate of the Sisters of Silence is unknown. There are no canonical references to them in the 41st millennium, however neither are there any references to them being disbanded or destroyed. Opinion is divided as to their fate; some fans believe they still man the Blackships, whereas others believe they were decimated protecting the Emperor's secret project at the height of the Heresy and were either disbanded or incorporated into the fledgling Inquisition.

You asked for a source stating that they were used to guard the Black Ships. I provided that. What you choose to believe or keep as personal head-canon, I don't care. The stated purpose of the Sisters of Silence in the time of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy was, amongst other duties, to be stationed aboard the Black Ships.

 Psienesis wrote:
You asked for a source stating that they were used to guard the Black Ships. I provided that. What you choose to believe or keep as personal head-canon, I don't care. The stated purpose of the Sisters of Silence in the time of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy was, amongst other duties, to be stationed aboard the Black Ships.

You misunderstand me. I already have it as head-canon, but my head-canon not fluff. There is an uncertainty if the Sisters of Silence were culled or exterminated during or after the HH. That is my point, but I believe very few people believe that.. Heck I even argued for a logical cause of why they just are on the Black Ships with the very canon more and more psykers born with every generation and i think its like three or four times as many psykers fed to Empy as before. That came from the fifth edition rulebook. The last two things I stated, which is why I think the Sisters of Silence still is around.

 Beaviz81 wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
You asked for a source stating that they were used to guard the Black Ships. I provided that. What you choose to believe or keep as personal head-canon, I don't care. The stated purpose of the Sisters of Silence in the time of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy was, amongst other duties, to be stationed aboard the Black Ships.

You misunderstand me. I already have it as head-canon, but my head-canon not fluff. There is an uncertainty if the Sisters of Silence were culled or exterminated during or after the HH. That is my point, but I believe very few people believe that.. Heck I even argued for a logical cause of why they just are on the Black Ships with the very canon more and more psykers born with every generation and i think its like three or four times as many psykers fed to Empy as before. That came from the fifth edition rulebook. The last two things I stated, which is why I think the Sisters of Silence still is around.

That's not what he was answering. He's not giving a source about whether or not the Sisters of Silence survived past the Heresy. He's pointing out that their primary role during the Crusade into the Heresy was guarding Black Ships. Pretty simple, you seriously have to read posts more thoroughly.

I would love to find out what happened to the sisterhood--but like many of the unanswered questions in 30K and 40K--we will just have to wait til someone writes about their possible demise or what they may have evolved into.

 Beaviz81 wrote:

 Psienesis wrote:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sisters_of_Silence

Horus Heresy: Collected Visions wrote:
The main purpose of the Sisters of Silence was therefore to seek out and apprehend psykers. As warrior-investigators they could involved in all aspects of the capture and transportation of psychic individuals and could almost always be found among the crew of the Black Ships.[1]

I have read it, its a favored theory, but nothing else even if I think so.

Do you even read?

That little [1]? That's a footnote citation. He even copied the name of the book into the quote title for you to make it easy.

Here, let me do it Harvard style;

Merret, A., Horus Heresy: Collected Visions, Games Workshop 2007, page 152.

 Beaviz81 wrote:

 Furyou Miko wrote:

Beaviz81 wrote:The most prominent theory is that they went on to crew the Black Ships, but thats just a theory, not a fact.

'went on'?

The Silent Sisterhood guarded the Black Ships. Its what they did. They were the military arm of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, who owned the Black Ships and were solely responsible for the Black Ships.

What on earth they did for guards between .M32 and .M36, I do not know.

If it is fact, then great, just find the citation. As I file this under I'm wishfully thinking ATM as I'm beholden to this theory on a personal level.

As well as Collected Visions, in Flight of the Eisenstein it says about the Sisters of Silence crewing the Black Ships as well.