My Sisters' Fluff

One reason I love Sisters is the fluff aspect. The "nuns with guns" thing gets me every time. Also, the fact that they are inward focused, rooting out the evil within the Imperium is cool.

My Sisters are the Order of the Ardent Maiden.

Years ago, they were a fairly modest Order, their Convent on a small moon in a rather remote and uninhabited part of the Imperium. The Order was known for the strict martial training and harsh vows that it encouraged. Many of these vows would put Sisters into certain roles. For example, some Sisters would take vows sending them on long solitary vigils to hone their senses, making them ideal for combat where visibility was impaired. Others would vow to not to remove their armor until the end of a campaign, resulting in Sisters who would shrug off the most greivious of wounds. Many Inquisitors would select Sisters of the Order of the Ardent Maiden to become semi-permanent bodyguards because of the specializations that Sisters acquired through their vows.

Within the Order, the rank of any particular Sister could be determined by the number of names she has. Upon joing the Order of the Ardent Maiden, a sister would recieve her new name (becoming Sister Melissa, for example). After participating in enough actions to lead a squad as a Veteran Superior, a Sister is granted a second name (Veteran Sister Superior Melissa Ione). If a Sister lives long enough to ascend to the rank of Cannoness or Palatine, she is given a third name (Cannoness Melissa Ione Ophelia, our current Cannoness).

The most influential Sister within the Order joined as Sister Ismene. A pious young girl, Sister Ismene had high hopes to become the Veteran Sister Superior of a group of Seraphim eventually. However, the Emperor had set his sights upon Sister Isemene and laid out a much different fate for her.

The Inquisitor Lord Varrus Almeada visited the Order of the Ardent Maiden after Sister Ismene had been through several campaigns, proving her faith time and time again (at this point, the Sisters mainly campaigned against rogue PDF formations and the heretic witches of the Eldar). Lord Varrus paid his respects to the Order and petitioned for three of the finest Sisters for his retinue. Sister Ismene, Sister Kali and Sister Marguerite were assigned to his retinue.

Sister Ismene accepted her new position with pride, knowing in her heart that should she live to return to the order she would have her pick of placements. The three sisters were all granted their second names as part of the honor of accompanying Lord Varrus. They became Sister Ismene Meghan, Sister Kali Victoria and Sister Marguerite Valeria.

The next few years saw the Sisters tried in the fire of Lord Varrus' dark assignments. With these three by his side, the Inquisitor Lord was surrounded by an iron wall of faith. With the Inquisitor and the rest of his sizable retinue, the Sisters plunged into danger time and time again. Eventually, however, calamity struck, and first Sister Kali Victoria and then Sister Marguerite Valeria were felled while purging a most insidious cult. Lord Varrus was able to use the sacrifice of their lives to destroy the cult leaders and recover their artifacts in a hope to use them to identify and destroy similar cults.

After the deaths of Sister Kali Victoria and Sister Marguerite Valeria, Sister Ismene Meghan continued to follow Lord Varrus into danger after danger. However, as time passed, Lord Varrus began to change. Once a compassionate and understanding man (for an Inquisitor who burns heretic witches, anyways), Varrus had become moody and unstable. It became common for him to execute the men under his command for his slightest whim, having them tortured in front of him. Eventually, Varrus took over the torture himself and began requisitioning men only to kill them in this gruesome manner.

At first, Sister Ismene Meghan was loathe to question Varrus. Then, however, she began to see signs of mutation and corruption upon his followers. Intending to confront Varrus himself, she stormed into his chambers only to find the runes of the Dark Gods scrawled all over and Varrus engaged in an obscene rite. Sister Ismene Meghan put a bolt round into the former Lord's head, ending his twisted parody of a life. She then stormed through Varrus' citadel, pouring rounds of holy bolter fire into the assorted deviants within.

After this incident, Sister Ismene Meghan submitted herself to the judgment of the Ecclesiarchy and the High Lords of the Inquisition. Stunned by the fall of a man they had considered a paragon of virtue, they granted Sister Ismene Meghan the powers and rights that had once been Varrus'. Now Sister Ismene Meghan had become Inquisitor Lady Ismene Meghan. Her first act was to raze Varrus' corrupt citadel to the ground and conduct purifying rituals upon the ashes. She then swore an oath of infinte vengeance upon the Dark Gods. After requisitioning an enormous battle barge, the Inquisitor returned to her former Order.

Upon her return, the Sisters of the Order of the Ardent Maiden honored Inquisitor Lady Ismene Meghan with her third name, christening her as Inquisitor Lady Ismene Meghan Morwenna. After conferring with Cannoness Sister Melissa Ione Ophelia, the entire Order was seconded into her service. The convent itself was moved into one of the cargo holds of the ship. Lady Ismene renamed the ship Purgation Through Flame.

The Purgation Through Flame and the Order of the Ardent Maiden now sought out and destroyed impure Space Marine Chapters, as identified by the High Lords of the Inquisition. Over time, the Order became recognized as exceptional in this field and were granted additional equipment to be permanently attached to their formation. Among these were the Hellhammer Heart of the Emperor's Chosen and several Land Raiders.

After a Titan Legion detachment dispatched to crush an uprising spearheaded by rebel Marines lost communication with Terra, the Order of the Ardent Maiden was sent in to recover what they could. After obliterating the rebels, a single Warhound Titan was recovered. Re-christened Lupus Virgo, the Titan was assigned to travel with the Order.

Lady Ismene also instituted a program of hiring the finest of artificers to work on the Order's equipment. Following the destruction of many rogue Marines, enough pieces of hallowed Tactical Dreadnought armor and Holy Dreadnought Sarcophagi were recovered that these artisans were able to grant the Order several suits of Terminator armor suitable for the use of the Sisters and a single Dreadnought shell. Lady Ismene herself re-consecrated these artifacts and sanctioned their use, hand selecting those who would be allowed to don the armor. She appointed a second Cannoness to head the small division (which consisted only of the Cannoness, 10 Sisters and Veteran Sister Margaret Hazel, who elected to forego her martyrdom to serve the Order further).

Cannoness Melissa petitioned Lady Ismene for a large warmachine which could double as a Cathedral for extended ground campaigns. Lady Ismene agreed and set the artisans to work on such a project. After years of labor, the Mobile Battle Cathedral Saint Myfanwy was built.

Currently, the Order has set out upon a campaign to crush a kabal of heretic Eldar who continue to raid frontier worlds, taking slaves...

What follows is a list of all of the named things within my army.

Battle Barge Purgation Through Flame*

Inquisitor Lady Ismene Meghan Morwenna

Cannoness Sister Melissa Ione Ophelia

Land Raider Might of the God Emperor

Land Raider Redeemer Buring Rage of the Pious

Hellhammer Heart of the Emperor's Chosen

Mobile Battle Cathedral Saint Myfanwy* (Counts as Warlord Titan)

Warhound Titan Lupus Virgo

Terminator Cannoness Sister Iseria Gabrielle Bianca (counts as Belial)

Terminator Veteran Sister Superior Sarah Cassandra (Counts as Deathwing Termies)
Terminator Veteran Sister Superior Alexandra Kelly (Counts as Deathwing Termies)

Dreadnought Veteran Sister Margaret Hazel

Seraphim Veteran Sister Superior Katherine Elizabeth

Veteran Sister Superior Alicia Dominique
Veteran Sister Superior Rebecca Julia
Veteran Sister Superior Beatrice Caroline
Veteran Sister Superior Ceres Victoria
Veteran Sister Superior Carla Celeste*
Veteran Sister Superior Kara Aline*

Celestian Squad Leader Sister Charity
Celestian Squad Leader Sister Faith
Celestian Squad Leader Sister Hope
Celestian Squad Leader Sister Joy

Dominion Squad Leader Sister Grace*
Dominion Squad Leader Sister Chastity*

Exorcist Light of the Angels
Exorcist Faith of the Saints
Exorcist Spirit of the Martyrs*

Vindicator Vengeance Upon Witches
Vindicator Hatred for the Unrighteous*

*This indicates the squads and vehicles I have not assembled as of yet. When taken all together, this list totals 8500 points. The Battle Barge will likely never be modeled (maybe I'll buy one BFG ship just for kicks), as there is nothing to use it as a "counts as."