Sisters of Battle?

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**Sgt.Sunshine**

I'm curious how does this faction boost it's numbers? I mean originally they were a warrior cult of some sort right? How would they be able to constantly recruit so many women and train them? And ontop of that they all look striking similiar and sport the same hair colour ._. I know it could be they just keep recruiting on the thousands of world in the imperium, but I'm just wonderin' if they do something like how the space marines "recruit".

**Jimsolo**

They take recruits out of the Schola Progenium, which is an orphanage/recruiting pool for the children of slain IG officers. Numerous other organizations pull from it too, including the Commissariat and the Officio Assinorum. I think that they might take in abandoned female children at their convents, as well.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
As to the hair color issue, well, I think that is a dye job. Probably to make them all look uniform, but still feminine. I would paint mine without the uniform hair color, but that's just me. I have yet to see anything stating definitively that they have to have a uniform hair color. And of course they all look the same. Most fighter pilots look the same too. (What I mean by this is, only Sisters who could fit into the battle armor would be allowed to wear it.) There are several orders of the Sororitas, and only a couple are militant.

**Emperors Faithful**

You're right there.
My personal favourite is the Ordo Hospitalier. Thye're kind of like the Mother Teresa's of 40k, helping refugees, wounded soldiers and all around making life less crappy for people of the Imperium.

But surely they would not be restricted to only orphans? Could, and wouldn't, some parents willingly give thier child to the progenium? To provide them a better life, or so there are less mouths to feed?

**Elric of Grans**

Not the hair again!!

It depends which photos/artwork you look at. No, seriously! Sometimes they have white hair; sometime black. Less commonly you see brown. Presumably they have just gone with whatever they felt looked best with the rest of the armour. Personally, my Sisters have a wide variety of hair colours. Only one blonde though. She has a Heavy Bolter. Unlike the other Sisters, she is unable to move and shoot *cough*.

**Emperors Faithful**

...

**Jimsolo**

The blonde thing is funny. Yeah, I like the mix and match hair colors too. And I think the reason that they take in orphans is two fold: First off, there is a lot of them. Second off, a young orphan can be easily molded (or brainwashed if you will) to accept any doctrine.

**unistoo**

Aye, the hair colour is a problem, especially as we have precious few model variants to start with.

I chose the path of least resistance and chose a colour that went well with the armour colour, and use it for all unhelmeted models. I justify this in my own Order's background by saying that at the end of their training, each Sister accepts a minor genetic modification that makes them take minor aspects of their founding martyr, that she may live on through their deeds. It's an idea that's deliberately a little creepy, because they use it to intimidate the general populace.

**Sgt.Sunshine**

I was just curious really. I used the hair colour as a point mainly because I thought they all looked the same ._.

**tigonesskay**

I think they take in mostly ophans and abandoned babies. Easier to brainwash. As for the hair thing I don't think they dye their hair I think they'll consider that vainity, but I think they all cut their hair in that short style because having their hair any longer would cause problems with them being able to put on their helmet.

**Kanluwen**

One minor point about the Schola Progenium:

It doesn't take in just orphans of slain officers, but any orphans. Children of wealthier families are also able to, depending on their family's pull, be chosen for admission and training.

**Emperors Faithful**

Of course it could easily depend on what planet the Progenium was placed. On some planets it may be seen as an honour for your child to be accepted, so perhaps even non-orphans could be inducted.

**Inquisitor Lord Bane**

No, its orphans only, they give the fluff for it in the Dark Heresy RPG. almost all the females go into the Ecclesiarchy, and alot of the males go into the guard, and the Commissariat is also all Progena students

**Emperors Faithful**

ACTUALLY, most of the boys go into Storm Trooper formations. (Which are seperate from IG) And have the opportunity to become Commissars.

Also, in a galaxy that big, I'm merely saying there WILL be exceptions to the rule. (BTW, Does a child abandoned at the doorstep count as an orphan?)

**Rubberanvil**

Emperors Faithful wrote:ACTUALLY, most of the boys go into Storm Trooper formations. (Which are seperate from IG) And have the opportunity to become Commissars.

Also, in a galaxy that big, I'm merely saying there WILL be exceptions to the rule. (BTW, Does a child abandoned at the doorstep count as an orphan?)

Depends on who's doorstep and where in the galaxy. In the safer areas it probably won't be a problem thou the child may be punted off to whom it may concern if not eligible to be s SoB. In and or near an (semi)active war zone the child's chance aren't good especially if they use as booby traps earlier in the conflict.

**Emperors Faithful**

ooooh. That's nasty... (Please tell me that hasn't ACTUALY ever happened?) >_<'

**Sgt.Sunshine**

Fact: There are such things as body bombs. The bodies used are not always adults and they are mostly not alive...

**Rubberanvil**

Actually booby trapping live children or making them into walking bombs isn't uncommon, I'm afraid.

**Shelegelah**

Boy, this thread got really dark, really fast.

**Emperors Faithful**

@Rubbernavil: ...I have to ask, where did you hear this?

**Sgt.Sunshine**

I blame Hurt Locker

**DJ Illuminati**

Emperors Faithful wrote:@Rubbernavil: ...I have to ask, where did you hear this?

History..... it has been done in WWI, numerous wars in the Slavic areas, and most notably in Veitnam.......

**Jon Garrett**

It's one of the tricks the Palastinians use against Israel. Ambulance drivers have to check children (and pretty much everyone else) before they can take them into a hospital. Sometimes two men in paramedic gear will wheel someone in and then run like hell, of course.

**LiberatedObject**

As for the abandoned child thing, I'd say that makes perfect sense.
"See miss, there are heretics. Because of them, you're alone in the world."
Enter lifetime of heretic and xenos killing.

**VictorVonTzeentch**

Emperors Faithful wrote:@Rubbernavil: ...I have to ask, where did you hear this?

The VC and NVA use this tactic quite often during the Vietnam War, due to the Allied Soldiers being willing to help the young and sometime injured children. I believe the same tactic has been used by insurgents in Middle Eastern Conflicts, ie The Iraq Policing Action, and Israel's conflicts over the years. The name baby killer for Allied Troops in Vietnam had a lot to do with some soldiers shooting the children rather than risking them getting close and the VC remotely setting of the charges.

**Emperors Faithful**

@BrotherStynier: Well that's sad. Another example of how humanity = Fail at times. =(

@LiberatedObject: On a lighter note, you sir have won this thread!

**VictorVonTzeentch**

Well its human nature to kill each other, and find new "exciting" and "controversial" ways to do it.

**Shelegelah**

Unfortunately you're right. Human nature is often the most disgusting and contradictory concept in the world.

**Emperors Faithful**

Meh, animals kill other animals all the time. What surprises me is the WAYS we humans find to do the same.

**LiberatedObject**

Emperors Faithful wrote:
@LiberatedObject: On a lighter note, you sir have won this thread!

Well, I appreciate that. I must say though, that I gave that as a motivation to a friend who was a Sister in my Dark Heresy campaign.

**Vulkan**

Emperors Faithful wrote:Meh, animals kill other animals all the time. What surprises me is the WAYS we humans find to do the same.

We Humans are still animals. The only thing that separates us is the high level of sentience at the exchange of natural strength