| Race | Human (exclusively female) |
|---|---|
| Leader | Abbess of Adepta Sororitas |
| Military forces | Convent Sanctorum Convent Prioris |
| Non-military | Orders Hospitalier Orders Famulous Orders Dialogous |
| Establishment | Early 36,000 |
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Sisters of Battle, also known as the Adepta Sororitas, are female warriors belonging to the "Ecclesiarchy", the religious arm of the Imperial government. The Sisters devotedly serve the Emperor of Mankind. They enforce the Imperial religion, seeking out and destroying heretics that defy the Emperor's Will.
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They were officially founded in 36th Millennium by the Ecclesiarch Alexis XXII as Ordes Militant.[1] In the 2nd edition of the game they were a standalone army, but, like the Grey Knights, the 3rd edition codices saw them joined to an Inquisitorial force. They now comprise the billion strong Chamber Militant of the Ordo Hereticus, "Witch Hunters", which is tasked with hunting down and destroying heretics and unsanctioned psychics (commonly known as "rogue psykers" or "witches"). However, as of the 5th edition rules, the Sisters of Battle have been separated from the Inquisition once again, standing alone as the Chamber Militant of the Eccelsiarchy, while the Ordo Hereticus utilise Grey Knights.[2]
Also they guard all of the shrines of the Imperium and are based on billions of additional sacred or shrine worlds, counted separately from the regular Imperial empire due to their forbidden status and the limitless number of saints and divine angels of past warriors and mammoth cathedral-castellum war vehicles ready to be unleashed via the activation of holy relics. The shrine and sacred worlds also provide much of the blessed vehicles and weaponry used by the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy in planet wide temple-depots responsible for production, consecration, and storage. and As such, the Sisters are found within the army book Codex: Witch Hunters.[3] The Sisters of Battle are also a playable race in the Dawn of War real-time strategy game, as part of the Soulstorm expansion.
Though not the same as the Space Marines, they do wear similar power armor and have the same general unit set-up. Their weapons tend to be heat- and flame-based, because of the 'purifying' effect of fire, inspired mainly by the popular portrayal of the Emperor as a cleansing fire. This creates an interesting situation as the Sororitas lean towards two extremes of weapon types: melta weapons for anti-tank and flame weapons for anti-infantry, both being heat based weapons. They wear markings determined by their designation, which are Orders instead of Chapters.
Not relying on the biological or technological upgrades that turn an ordinary human male into a superhuman Space Marine, they are not the same "supersoldier" in terms of combat ability and endurance. However, they do get armour and weapons which are well beyond those issued to the average human, such as the Imperial Guard. They also gain powerful faith-based abilities to help them combat their foes, such as guiding their weapons fire, increasing their chances to score a lethal blow, or restoring their morale.
The Sisters bear a resemblance to several knightly orders from Medieval Europe, and have a strong Gothic feel. Many of their heroines have the personae and attitude of Joan of Arc (especially in Martyrdom and Sainthood). Being an elite army of female zealots, they also bear some resemblance to the Fish Speakers from Frank Herbert's Dune universe
The design of the models themselves have a strong fire motif. They also take the Gothic appearance of the Imperium to the extreme: the Exorcist tank is shaped like a pipe-organ on treads. Forge World produces alternate versions of their tanks, which have a more "military" and less gothic look.