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Specifically a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh. Is there any precedent? This small question asked for background writing.

P.S. Is there a Codex: Battle Sisters? It would likely answer my question.

There is a codex Adepta Sororitas. Digital only. And yes they would by the application of the Holy Trinity of Weapons: Bolter, Melta, Flamer.

The more academic answer is no. They could not banish one intentionally. They could defeat it or force it to retreat or cause conditions for instability, but they could not intentionally banish it. Only the Grey Knights or Ordo Malleus of the Inqusiton have the knowledge and equipment to intentionally banish a daemon, especially a greater daemon.

Defeat and send back to the Warp through combat or destruction of a physical thing that is helping it stay stable? Yes.

Banish by means of psychic power or ritual? No.

Septimus Severus wrote:
Specifically a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh. Is there any precedent? This small question asked for background writing..

P.S. Is there a Codex: Battle Sisters? It would likely answer my question.

Usually no - they could however indeed destroy / disrupt its physical form.

The Adepta Sororitas also have had, acting through them, what appear to be powerful manifestations of the will of the Emperor before and St Celestine (along with a number of other 40k characters) is arguably a Greater Daemon created by the emperor so its not impossible - just unlikely.

If the Sister had the Daemons true name for some reason - for instance in the service of a Ordo Malleus Inquisitor adn that Inquisitor decided that it was important she had it - she could also likely banish it?

They can, they will, and they are doing it. They main tools to banish daemons are bolts, flamers and melta. Just like everything else. But I doubt daemons enjoy receiving a holy stake from the condemnor bolter either.

To be fair, Soroitas faith is probably a strong passive defense against Chaos, much in the way psychic blanks are against psykers. They probably suppress Chaos essence and may increase demonic instability somewhat. Then again, I can't imagine a demon being comfortable in a convent or in the presence of a holy artifact, either.

But can they actually exorcise a demon? If so it's never been written up that I'm aware of. Most likely they'd resort to fire and bolter shell immediately rather than risk their souls trying to figure out a way to banish a demon.

You might get exorcists among the Ecclesiarchy, preachers who know the rituals and such. But not the Sororitas. They're the Chamber Militant of the Ecclesiarchy, and their job is to kill stuff. And they do it pretty well.

My two cents.

A Greater Daemon of Slaanesh was emprisonned by the Sisterhood (and then escaped) in Daemonifuge. In Eisenhorn, prayers and holy icons seems to be armful to daemons so a big bunch of Sisters praying fervantly together could probably hurt a daemon badly. You can also imagine all sorts of religious ritual they might know of, «magical» technology and techno-artefacts or downright miracles produced by their faith. The question is not can they do it, but do you want them to do it. The rest is just finding a plausible explanation rooted in the background of both the Sisters and daemons.

Generally no, but as always in a universe as large as 40k there's exceptions. Off the top of my head here's a few concepts as to why:
* A sister get attatched to a Malleus Inquisitor for whatever reason and learns of it.
* A sister get familiar with a zealot that shares his knowledge.
* The sisters are forced to fight a greater deamon and are required to learn banishing in order to stop it effeciently. (-lets say to few sisters are at hand to go bolter on it)
* A sister goes radical and decides they need to start focusing on deamons.
* A (radical or no) Inquisitor takes a cannoness place and makes the sisters study banishing for some grand scheme

Warboss Gorhack wrote:
But can they actually exorcise a demon?

Of course. With the help of an exorcist!
Enough S8AP1 missiles will exorcise anything!

Considering that rites of exorcism don't require anything more than a handful of priests, some candles and some holy water, as such rites are neither psychic disciplines or sorcerous arcana... sure, a Sister, or group of Sisters, with proper education, could exorcise a daemon.

 Psienesis wrote:
Considering that rites of exorcism don't require anything more than a handful of priests, some candles and some holy water

In 40k or in the catholic dogma?

In both. In DH, it just requires someone with the Forbidden Lore: Daemons Skill (at +10, iirc), and having someone with Pure Faith (all Sisters) makes it much easier.

Just a note that the default method for exorcising the possessed and tainted in 40k is death by burning purification by flame. :p

there is a difference between defeating a daemon. the knowledge required to banish it is forbidden. I might be wrong bu the ecclesiaty mostly deals with humans and their faith rather than combating daemons. I'm pretty sure it is forbidden for anyone outside of the ordo malleus or GK to be aware of daemons as a fact, and collect and use knowledge to banish them properly. I'm not saying it cant happen, but a sister with that knowledge who is allowed to roam free and not be attached to an OM would be exceedingly rare.

There is also a difference between banishing a daemon, such as a manifested Bloodletter or Horror or Great Unclean One on a battlefield, and exorcising a daemon that has possessed a mortal host.

Two entirely different things.

 Psienesis wrote:
Considering that rites of exorcism don't require anything more than a handful of priests, some candles and some holy water, as such rites are neither psychic disciplines or sorcerous arcana... sure, a Sister, or group of Sisters, with proper education, could exorcise a daemon.

on the subject of exorcism: ^This is pretty much the answer. You can perform an excorcism in DH at the risk of your soul (=possesion/corruption points). It's dangerous for everyone involved but mostly the deamon just loses his grip on the material realm and goes back to the warp. In last chansers there's an instance where a navigator gets possesed and what makes the deamon leave (his mutilate corpse behind) is the fact that it finds it uncomfortable being shot at. I imagine an exorcism usually work in the same way with the deamon going "eh, I'm better of in the warp".

The drawback is that deamonology is rare and forbidden knowledge and utterly shunned by the sisterhood. Not that it can't happen but it's forbidden to know this stuff. Insert Radical vs puritan debate.

On the subject of banishing: This can be performed without bolter and fire but it's difficult and the knowledge of how to do so is all but impossible to obtain. it's all about breaking the deamons grip on the material world. The easiest way to do so is to apply great trauma to the deamons corporeal form. As a matter of fact most deamons primary objective during an invasion is to make it easier for themselves to maintain a presence, which can be achieved by causing mayhem, panic and corruption. To counter this is to make people calm and... well... Non chaosy. An area can be sanctified to the point where deamons don't like being there and there malicing precense can be countered by resolution and conviction. If a specific deamons true name is known then it can be pronounced to further weaken the deamon and finally it can be banished through faith. A sister could definetly be able to do this but, as stated before, they genrally shun the knowledge to do so. They are supposedly the most puritan inquisitorial faction there is and will only in very specific circumstances have any knowledge concerning banishing.

Sure. Anything burns if you get the fire hot enough.