Orders Sororitas of the Aliris Sector

The Aliris Sector having been part of the Imperium from its earliest days, and furthermore, an important warfront in the constant battle against the Chaos Gods is well supplied with Saints, Saints' shrines and Orders of the Adepta Sororitas.

The Abbey of the Silver Star
This Abbey on the Adepta's planetary fief of Domica is the primary house of the Adepta Sororitas in the Aliris Sector. As a daughter-house and fief of the Convent Sanctorum on Holy Terra the Abbey and the Sisterhoods it controls are completely outside of local political jurisdiction or Ecclesiarchal control - which probably causes as many problems as it solves, certainly it raises the hackles of both the Arch-Cardinals and the Sector Lord. The Abbey houses a preceptory of Sisters Militant of the Ebon Chalice and another of the Silver Shroud; a Collegium of Sisters Famulous of the Holy Seal; a Hospitallum of the Order of the Torch; and a Sanctum of the Sisters Dialogous of the Lexicon.

Lady Prioress Venicia
Venicia Corbulone is a Canoness Curullis of the Order Famulous of the Holy Seal. As such she is the ultimate Sororitas authority in the Sector easily the equal of Cardinals and Governors. She controls what is probably the best intelligence system in the Sector with a finger in every pie; Administratum, Ministorum, Munitorum and even Mechanicus. My Lady Prioress regularly manipulates Governors, Ecclesiarchs and Adeptii - to the glory of the Divine Emperor of course!

The Order of the Ebon Chalice
This oldest of the major Ordos Militant keeps a force of two thousand Sisters in Arilis sector under the over all command of Canoness-Preceptress Serena Pliny based with a full thousand on the planet of Hadron's Shield, but there is also a full commandery of sisters within the walls of the Abbey on Dominica and smaller detachments posted along the wall or other hot spots according to military necessity.

The Order of the Argent Shroud
Canoness-Preceptress Daria Libo of the Argent Shroud is Canoness Pliny's rival and sometimes ally. St. Silvana's daughters also have their chief house on Hadron's Shield and a commandery of sisters on Dominica. The Order has fewer calls on its womanpower than the Sisters of the Ebon Chalice as they are considered less reliable than the latter. This is due in large part to rather fanatical fury of Canoness Libo's faith.

The Order of the Holy Seal
This Order Major Famulous is both numerous and active in the Aliris Sector, the powerful aristocratic houses dominating planets and whole sub-sectors makes the sector a natural arena for the manipulations of Sisters Famulous. Every noble house has its detachment of Sisters acting as chamberlains, advisors, envoys and tutors. The Sisterhood's goal, of course, is always the greater glory of the Emperor but naturally this also necessarily works to the benefit of His elect governors so there is seldom any serious conflict of interest - at least from the Sisters' point of view. Nobles who have had their ambitious plots foiled would disagree, providing they ever realized the Sisters were responsible for their disappointment.

In addition to their advisory work in gubernatorial courts and noble households Sisters Famulous maintain schools where daughters of the aristocracy, high adeptus Officials, sector ranked military officers and girls from the Schola Progenia are suitably educated to become pious and dedicated wives and mothers and appropriate matches arranged for them. Women so trained often take lay vows and work to further the interests of their Order from inside the aristocracy, the adeptus and the military.

The Order of the Cleansing Water
The Hospitallers of this Order Major concentrate their efforts on the Emperor's subjects, securing clean water for the communities they serve is a major pre-occupation. The Sisters' philosophy urges the prevention of disease through good sanitation and widespread vaccination programs but they also maintain a network of storefront clinics and visiting Sisters in downhive and slum areas.

The Order of the Torch
These Sisters Hospitaller devote themselves to providing medical support for their Militant Sisters and for Guard regiments. Serving as they do in war zones the Sisters of the Torch customarily wear a full suit of black soft armor with matching carapace corselet and armored boots decorated with the Sororitas Lily over their red lined white vestments, Red coifs take the place of helmets and are covered by red lined white veils.

The Order of the Lexicon
One of the oldest of the Ordos Dialogi the sisters claim to be lineally descended from a collegia of Lexicographers established by the Emperor Himself for the purpose of cataloging all of Human Knowledge. Said collegia if it ever existed had by the Age of Apostasy been replaced by Brides of the Emperor especially chosen for the duty by Vandire himself - a connection modern sisters naturally would rather forget.

Order of Our Lady Dominica
Sisters Militant derived from the Order of the Ebon Chalice, also called Dominican Sisters. Their Mother-house is on the garrison planet Themiscyra. The Dominican Sisters are a major presence on Themiscyra and have had powerful impact on the culture of the planet. Themiscyra is a matriarchy where women customarily hold the positions of power and serve almost exclusively in the regiments raised for service on the Wall. The Sisterhood controls most of the churches and church lands - to the extreme annoyance of the Sub-sector Synod - and dominates the religious life of the planet.

Livery: White armor with black surplice and breastplate, black helmet with white visor. Red aquila on the right pauldron, red lilies on right knee and left pauldron.

Order of the Daughters of the Moons
Sisters Militant derived from the Order of the Silver Shroud, also called 'Sisters of the Night'. Their Mother-house is on Menae, one of the Hundred Moons of the Umbericus system on the Hadronian Wall. This order is closely allied with the Night Walkers, whose homeworld of Morrowdim is the only planet of Umbericus. The Sisters often fight side by side with the Walkers or provide support. Some Sisters are actual blood sisters of Night Walker Battle-Brothers as they recruit from the Umberican moons as does the Chapter.

Livery: Silver gray armor and dull purple surplice. The same purple trim on pauldrons, and the aquila and lilies are the same color.

Order of the Angels of St. Sanguinius
The cult of St. Sanguinius is fervently followed many planets at the Malakand end of the Wall including Sanggraal the home of the Sons Sanguine. When a Canoness of the Ebon Chalice was ordered to establish a new sisterhood to support the Wall fortresses it was natural for her to dedicate it to the Primarch of the Blood Angels. The reclusive Sons Sanguine keep their distance from the Sisters dedicated to their Progenitor but the Sisters' mother house is established in Haut Leon, the most settled and devout of the small kingdoms of Sanggraal, and the Angels are venerated - and quite properly feared - by all the inhabitants.

Livery: Golden armor with red surplice and red visor on the helmet. Red aquila on the right pauldron and silver lilies on the left pauldron and right knee.

Order of the True Steel or Steel Sisters
An order of Sisters Militant founded by the Blessed Urracca, a former governor of Iber, and affiliated with the Order of the Argent Shroud. They are the oldest of the several locally based Orders Minor. Their mother house is on Iber in the city of Esclavon and includes within its precincts the Cathedral of the Steel Martyrs and an affiliated chapter of Secular Canonesses and lay sisters who desire to share the spiritual benefits of the Order, this association of cenobites and sometimes anchorites with a Sororitas Order is common in the Church of Iber.

Livery: Steel grey armor, red surplice and red visor on helmet. White edged pauldrons with white insignia including the lily on the knee.

Order of the Crystal Chalice
A daughter order of the Sisters of the Ebon Chalice founded by an Loegrian born Canoness of said Order, St. Jilyanna. The Sisters' mother house is Fountain Abbey on Loegris Minor. In addition to military service on the Marches fortress worlds and the Wall the Chalican sisters are tireless evangelists of the Imperial Creed with numerous missions spread over the colonial and Feudal worlds of the Sector.

Livery: White armor and surplice, pauldrons and greaves are edged with pale blue and the helmet's visor is the same color as are all insignia.

Order of the Votaresses of the Imperial Light
This daughter order of the Sacred Rose was established by a lady of the Lilium gubernatorial family, St. Margrida, on her fief-world of Canossa which is now the fief of the Order. Saint Margrida is famous for mediating a dispute between her brother the then Governor of Lilium and the Arch-Cardinal of Romuleia thus preventing a private war. Unfortunately the two parties were unreasonable enough to resent her settlement and St. Margrida was forced to invite a mission of Sisters from the Sacred Rose to assure the security of her planet. The Saint had already founded a cenobitic order for noblewomen in veneration of the Imperial Light which was later joined by several of the Sacred Rose sisters who transformed it into an Order Minor Militant.

Livery: Golden armor a white surplice with a white visor on the helmet and purple insignia.

Order of Our Lady of the Marches
This Order Militant is affiliated with the Sisters of the Ebon Chalice. They were founded by the Cardinal of Avitus in the Fourth century of M.41 to deal with raiding from the Kerak sub-sector by surviving separatists. Their mother house is located on the airless and barren fortress world of Mundus Calpis, a linchpin of the Sector's rimward defenses. The Sisters are also known as Emilians after their patron saint Emilia, also known as Our Lady of the Marches, traditional protectress of the sub-sector bearing her name. The Sisters have a commandery on Avita which provides the honor guard for the Saint's shrine.

Livery: Yellow armor, black surplice with black visor and black edging pauldrons and greaves. Pale orange insignia.

The Order of the Guardians of the Flame
This order, also called the Flaminicans, was founded in the 6th century M38 by the Arch-Cardinal Richese of Romuleia in the wake of the 9th Black Crusade to strengthen the defenses of his dioceses. The order is affiliated with the Sisters of the Ebon Chalice. They are noted as extremely fierce warriors and each convent contains an unfailing flame venerated by the Sisters as symbolic of the Imperial Faith and power of the Emperor. The Order has spread to other Cardinal worlds of the Rudolphin and Hadronian Wall sub-sectors where they serve as fervent and unquestioning soldiers of the Faith.

Livery: Fiery red armor and surplice, pauldrons and greaves edged with fiery orange and orange gauntlets and visor. Golden insignia.

The Order of the Crown Imperishable
Founded by a former Sector Consort divorced for political reasons. The Blessed Genevra found comfort in her faith living for many years as a cenobitic Sister of the Advent on the planet Corovis, later renamed Rudolphus Prime. But early in the second century M39 she was caught up with many others in the Rudolphin Crusade. Inspired she gave up her contemplative life to take up arms and found an Order of Sisters Militant which she dedicated to the Emperor's imperishable crown. They are also known as the Coronal Sisterhood and their mother-house is on Rudolphus Prime

Livery: Silver armor and purple surplice, pauldrons and greaves edged with gold. Golden insignia and a golden helmet with a silver visor.

The Order of the Golden Rose
This order was founded by Saint Aurellie, a lady of the gubernatorial house of Gallica. The Saint, finding her ambitions for the succession decisively crushed went on pilgrimage to Holy Terra. She returned many decades later a Sister Palatine of the Order of the Sacred Rose and accompanied by a small band of fellow veteran sisters who established the first convent of their new order on the moon of Canguin. They have since spread through the sub-sector and have a considerable presence on the Wall.

Livery: Golden armor and green surplice, green helmet with a golden visor and iron grey insignia.

Order of the Emperor's Tears
Founded on Holy Terra in the 4th c. M.41 in response to the mass visions of the Emperor weeping afflicting trillions of people on millions of worlds. Very unusually the Order has both a Militant and a Hospitaller branch. Its constitutions were laid out by the Ecclesiarch Venerian VIX who approved the Order in 523.M41. Both branches of the Order are spread through all five Segmenta, in the Aliris Sector  their main preceptory is located on the Cardinal world of Bezant. These Sisters Militant are aggressive assault troops who enthusiastically seek out posts of danger and are not easily controlled by more prudent generals.

Livery: Black armor and black surplice and a white visor. Red aquila on the right pauldron and white lilies.

Orders Famulous
'The End justifies the Means,' is the motto of the Orders Famulous thus sisters of any order do not hesitate to seduce important men to control them, to create expertly constructed espionage networks, hire death cult assassins or on occasion do the deed themselves - all in the name of peace and unity and the Emperor's Will of course!

Order of the Six Point Star
Sisters Famulous derived from the Order of the Holy Seal. They have their Mother-house on Avita in the Emilian Marches and convents on both Gallica and Iber. They constantly work for peace between the two powers, indirectly through education of noble girls, as advisors to their parents and occasionally directly by more positive if dubious means. The Sisters of the Six Point Star are quite powerful both covertly and openly in the Emilian sub-sector and so regarded with more than a little suspicion by competing powers. Lippus II of Iber is a good friend and patron of the Order as is the Mother-Dowager Dulchess of Gallica who fondly the believe the Sisters are serving her purposes while actually serving their own.

Order of the Golden Throne
Another order deriving from the Sisters of the Holy Seal. Their mother-house is on Alexandretta but they maintain a presence throughout the Almagest sub-sector and are especially active in brokering the intricate dynastic politics and alliances that entangle the sub-sector's ruling families. Their aims are often at odds with those of said rulers but this is seldom realized by their dupes. The Basilissa Zenobie was educated at a Golden Throne school and is counted as a lay sister of the Order as well as its chief patron.

Order of the Lamp
Sisters Hospitaller derived from the Order of the Torch this order specializes in service to the denizens of the underhives of the heavily populated worlds in the central zones of the Sector. It is their mission to bring the light of the Emperor's love and mercy into the darknest despair. The Sisters adhere to the Homo et Divus sect which sometimes brings them into conflict with Divus Imperialis authorities. Fortunately they have the protection of Prioress Venicia, not to mention several Orders Militant.

Order of Our Veiled Lady
An order of Sisters Hospitaller dedicated to furthering Saint Emilia's works of mercy in the Marches that bear her name. The Order follows the rule of the Major Order of the Cleansing Waters some of whose sisters were among the Saint's earliest disciples. The mother house of the Veiled Sisters is of course on Avita and they are keepers of St. Emilia's Shrine. They maintain sanitoria and nursing homes all over the Marches and also on the major stronghold worlds of the Hadronian Wall to serve the wounded defenders.

Order of the Emperor's Tears
As mentioned above this particular Ordo Minoris is very unusually divided between Sisters Militant and Sisters Hospitallers. The latter of course serve as medicae for their warrior sisters but they also deploy independent mission-clinics on war worlds and planets torn by natural disaster to spread the balm of the Emperor's Divine pity on the sufferings of his peoples. Because of the physical danger this exposes them too the Sisters through hospitallers customarily wear black carapace armor over their black vestments.

Order of the Furled Scroll
Sisters Dialogous deriving from the Order of the Lexicon based on Alexandretta. Their primary task is the cataloging, recording and otherwise organizing the vast Librarium of Alexandretta whose archives occupy one of the largest of Alexandretta's stepped pyramids with annexes spreading for kilometers through the buildings around it. The Libarium of Alexandretta is said to include historical material reaching back to the dim Age of Terra and copies of works sentenced to Obliteration. The Scroll sisters are constantly called upon to physically defend their Librarium and do so with considerable skill. No Historical Revision Team; no Inquisitor; no witch or sorcerer; has ever succeeded in either extracting or destroying any work in the Librarium.

The Sisters of the Furled Scroll also run one of the most famous Universitas Collegia in the Imperium patronized by scholars from all over the Galaxy.

Order of the Vade Mecum
Sisters Dialogous derived from the Order of the Lexicon. Their Mother-house is on Gallica. The Sisters of the Vade Mecum are responsible for researching, writing and publishing the Encyclopedia Gallica under the patronage of the Governors of Gallica. Though they generally limit their investigations to the Emilian Marches sub-Sector even that comparatively small volume of space contains secrets and surprises sufficient to require regular revisions.

Convent Prioris Orders in the Alirian Sector
In addition to those orders deriving from the Convent Sanctorum on Holy Terra there are several establishments belonging to Orders affiliated with the Convent Prioris on Ophelia VII. The superiors of these houses opine that they do not come under the authority of the Prioress of the Silver Star which sometimes causes problems:

Order of the Bloody Rose
This Order Major maintains a preceptory of a thousand Battle-Sisters on Inqanok. This preceptory dates back to the immediate post-Apostasy era, c. 222 M38, when Sisters of the newly formed Order of the  Bloody Rose were called upon by Lord Sector Theosopus III Comenus to aid his guard units in exterminating the grotesque and Chaos tainted xenos inhabiting the then newly discovered planet. Unfortunately said xenos left behind all to many traces of their presence requiring the Sisters to maintain a constant watch for heresy or chaos taint in the present Human population.

Order of the Daughters of Guiliman
This Order is affiliated with the Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII but  is not descended from the Daughters of the Emperor but from a militant religious order for women founded c. 40 M.34 by Valeria Crispa a noble lady of Ultramar. As one might guess from the order's title they venerate Guilliman as their founding Saint and follow his strategic and tactical teachings as least as devotedly as any of his sons. The Daughters are, of course, closely linked to the Ultramarines and to their succesor Chapters, a commandery of the sisterhood can be found almost everywhere you find the sons of Guilliman. In Aliris sector their main Commandery is on Cato but missions of Sisters can also be found in the garrisons of the Wall.

Livery: Steel blue armor, white surplice, white visor and golden insignia.

Order of the Promethean Sisterhood
Like the Daughters of Guiliman the Promethean Sisterhood is Astartes affiliated and predates the establishment of the Adepta Sororitas. They too are headquartered at the Convent Sanctorum. The mother house is of course on Nocturne. The Promethean Sisters are often called upon by the Adeptus Mechanicus to purge heresies in its ranks. Their presence in the Alirian Sector is due to the vile Moreavan Heresy which flourished briefly on volcanic Lucifer in the Hadronian Wall sub-sector. Lucifer is now the site of the Sisterhood's preceptory.

Livery: Green armor, black surplice with a black visor and fiery orange insignia.

Order of the Adamantine Achoress
An order of Sisters Militant affiliated with the Sisters of the Valorous Heart and inspired by the St. Chimena, a Sister Oblate formerly of that Order famous for the severity of her mortifications as well as the vast array of enemies she slaughtered in the name of the Emperor. Her daughters are also known for their extreme asceticism and bloody deeds against the Imperium's enemies. Some have gone so far as to call them masochistic and sadistic or psychopathic.

Livery: Silver armor, white surplice with a white visor and silver edged black pauldrons with silver insignia, Black gauntlets and a black lily on the right knee..

Order of the Snow Swan
This order of Sisters Militant is lineally descended from the Order of the Valorous Heart by way of the Order of the Wounded Heart. When the latter was forced to reduce its numbers in the first century of M.38 a number of the auxiliary sisters formed themselves into a new Order Militant taking as their model the Space Wolves present on Dimmamar in gratitude for their support of the original Order. The new sisterhood adopted much of the Wolves battle doctrine and more than a few of their animistic spiritual beliefs.

Livery: White armor, dark blue surplice, blue pauldrons edged with white with white insignia.

Order of the Burning Rose
This Order of Sisters Militant was founded by Marcella Claudio-Julia and her cousin Drusilla Livio-Julia in the mid-9th century M41. the Foundresses based the new order's rule and organization on those of the Order of the Blood Rose. The Abbey and motherhouse of the Burning Rose is on the dead world of Zode I adjacent to the Cathedral of the Flame where the Order's patron saint, Athaliah the Flame, was briefly interred. The Sisters are closely affiliated with the Lions Triumphant who succeeded the Renegade Phoenix Brethren as the resident Astartes Chapter. The Order of the Burning Rose has a great deal in common with the Phoenix Brethren and maintain a covert connection to that Chapter. They not only share the Brethren's Patron Saint, Athaliah the Flame, and their faith in the Sanctifying Flame but many of the Sisterhood also possess the Gift - though how remains unexplained.

Livery: Dark grey armor, red surplice with a golden aquila on the right pauldron and black lilies.

Order of the Holy Word
Sisters Dialogous of the Convent Sanctorum. They have a Sanctum on Inqanok carefully guarded by the Sisters Militant of the Bloody Rose while the Sisters of the Word aided by a few scholars provided by the Alirian Conclave and techsorcists supplied by the Adeptus Mechanicus search out the forbidden secrets of the late and unlamented inhabitants of the planet.

Notable Quotes
"We are the Emperor's dutiful daughters, His most devoted handmaidens. Everything we do is for Him and His Glory."

- Lady Prioress Venecia

"Does that include all the deceptions and the murders?"

- St. Athaliah the Flame

"Of course."

- Lady Prioress Venicia