Military Order of Mater Dolorosa

> "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
>
> From the Treatise of Exodus of the Apocrypha, the Universal Magisterium's Sacred Scripture

Restorers of the World.

## Characteristics

### Motto

"I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

### Headquarters

Planet Edelweiss (Main)
Planet Ermeta (Secondary)
Planet Zemelia (Former)

### Service Branches

Abbey of Edelweiss
Abbey of Ermeta
Abbey of Zemelia

## Personnel

### Available for military service

Unknown

The **Military Order of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows** (Oratio Ecclesiastica: *Ordo Militaris Mater Dolorosa*, postnominal abbreviation **O.M.M.D.**), known simply as the **Military Order of Mater Dolorosa**, the **Order of the Handmaids**, and as the **World Restorers**, are an elite, all-female proximilitary force comprised of Void-Adepts tasked with conducting preternatural warfare, a mode of warfare associated with the Preternaterium. The Order was one of the autonomous organizations and the sole military force within the Legion of the Empress, its parent organization. During the Third Agone, they split off from the Legion of the Empress, becoming their own organization.

During the Second Epoch and the Third Agone, under the leadership of Sankt Mórrígan of Eriu, the Military Order was placed under the command of the Custodian of the Miraculous Relics, with the task of restoring the light of the Beacons of Eukharistia located within the Exodus Diocese of the Milky Way Galaxy. At the time, the bright light of the Beakhons of Eukharistia allowed the Chelovayyan Empire to navigate both the Naterium and the Preternaterium with ease, thereby allowing effortless transportation and communication across stars and galaxies. With the Dimming of the Beacons, the Chelovayyans lost all contact with their colonies outside the Local Group of Galaxies. In addition, the Preternaterium abruptly became a hostile place for all Chelovayyans, even within the Milky Way itself. If such trends continued, Imperial Historians almost unanimously believe that it would have led to the total disintegration of Chelovayya. For this reason, when Sankt Mórrígan and her Handmaids managed to restore the light of the beacon, they were fittingly called the "World Restorers".

In its current form, the Order's most important role is to serve as the standing army of the Imperial Secretariat of the Custodians under the Supreme Sacred Dicastery of the Universal Inquisition of the Universal Magisterium. One of the most prestigious assignments of a Handmaid is to serve under the command of the Custodian of the Miraculous Relics, tasked with protecting sacred, preternatural & supernatural artifacts which are necessary for the conduct of spiritual warfare.

## History

### Original Formation

The **Military Order of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows**, traces its lineage back to the War of the First Coalition during the First Epoch. During this time, the Galactic Federation declared war on the Chelovayyan Empire, creating a two-front war with the Prometheans and the Chelovayyans. After the massacres of Chelovayyan women at the hands of the Foederati, the Chelovayyan Senate enacted the Floretta Law, which restricted women from most forms of military service. With the Floretta Law in effect, women were unable to join the Voruzenye, except as auxiliary forces in non-combat support roles.

Around the same time, Archregent Kamen I's Decree on Universal Military Obligation, a service law regulating the conscription and military service system was in effect. Under this decree, any organization which was not part of the Voruzenye Organ, the Chelovayyan Armed Forces Military Organizations, were not allowed to have any standing military forces of their own. The decree effectively outlawed private military corporations (PMCs), who were forced to rebrand as security organizations. The decree was meant to address the high casualty rate and insufficient recruitment rates of the Voruzenye, since it was believed that many men were avoiding their military obligations by joining non-governmental armed organizations.

During the war, the vast majority of the workforce, and professionals of non-governmental organizations, businesses, and institutions were women. To support the men in the war, several humanitarian organizations such as the Legion of the Empress provided services such as nursing and care for wounded soldiers, treatment for prisoners of war, tracing services for families, and protection and healthcare for civil populations. However, due to the nature of the war, the Galactic Federation began to target these organizations, who were considered as legitimate military targets. The Earthly Host, the Milky Way Galactic Corps, and other parts of the Voruzenye, were unfortunately unable to adequately protect these organizations in countless cases.

In response to this, the Legion of the Empress established the "Order of the Sorrowful Mother", a lay organization tasked with the 'protection' of the Legion's civil-military efforts. On paper, the Order served as mere security forces for the organization. In reality, the Order gradually became a massive all-female paramilitary force. Since men were heavily restricted from joining non-Voruzenye forces, and women were not allowed combat roles in the Voruzenye, the Order opted solely to recruit women.

Throughout the course of the war, the Order of the Sorrowful Mother became a billion-strong proper ground force capable of launching conventional military operations. Though controversial, the Chelovayyan Senate allowed it to exist for the time being, due to the immeasurable help the order provided to the general welfare of human societies, and the popularity of the Order within the ranks of the Voruzenye itself. The Order of the Sorrowful Mother's successes inspired future women to be involved in military service, and its existence eventually led to the nullification of the Floretta Law.

### The Mórrígan Reformation

With the nullification of the Floretta Law, the Order of the Sorrowful Mother greatly declined, losing around 98% of its peak wartime force due to most women deciding to join the Voruzenye itself. With the seemingly imminent dissolution of the Order, the Concillium of the Legion of the Empress appointed Mórrígan Catha as the "Director of the Order", with the intent of presiding over the disbandment of the organization. However Mórrígan Catha, being a consecrated nun herself, was close to the Spiritual Director of the Legion, and still saw potential with the Order. With the support of the Spiritual Director, Mórrígan Catha began recruiting Void-Adept novitiates to the Order, with the intent of creating a force dedicated to conducting spiritual warfare.

Soon, the Archregent of Chelovayya himself consecrated the Order of the Sorrowful Mother, which was renamed the **Military Order of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows**, transforming it from a simple vow laity organization, to a solemn vow order comprised of dedicated faithful nuns. With permission from the Legion, the Order moved from Planet Zemelia to Planet Edelweiss. The world of Edelweiss was popularly known for its Empress Apparitions, which made it the ideal spiritual world for Hyperdulia, a type of Veneration dedicated solely to the Empress of Chelovayya.