Brides of Silentium

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## Brides of Silentium

Iconography of the Brides of Silentium

Null Maiden of the Brides of Silentium

## Silent Sisterhood Cadre

### **Homeworld**

N/A; Primarily Fleet-Based (Officially)
Unnamed World with no star (Rumored)

## History

### **Founded**

260-300.M36 (After the Age of Apostasy, During the the reform of the Ecclesiarchy)

### **Founder(s)**

Grand Master of the Culexus Temple
Unknown Magos Biologis or Genetor
Oblivion Knight Vontica Neloco and members of the Sisters of Silence

## Other Information

### **Size (sisters)**

1st Preceptory: 2000~ 2nd Preceptory: 7000~3rd Preceptory: 750~

### **Allies**

Culexus Temple
Sisters of Silence
Adeptus Astra Telepathica

### **Colours**

Bronze, Gold & Black

The **Brides of Silentium** is an Chamber Militant of the Adepta Sororitas with every member having the mutation of the "Pariah Gene" and have been trained in void warfare as well as executing boarding actions which target the Warp drives of vessels, and the combined aura of the null maidens render Navigators or Rogue Psykers all but useless. The Order began as a member of the Sisters of Silence, an all-female order of Imperial Witch Hunters tasked with hunting down rogue psykers and other psychic threats. However after generations of the Replicae Project and Sororitas training has resulted in a strucher and organisation more simaler to a Order Militant than a the Sisters of Silence, down to training and equipment.

## History

For the last 5000 years the Brides of Silentium have been hidden from the Imperium of Man by the Culexus Temple of the Officio Assassinorum, as they have been trained and equipped for the sole purpose of protecting the Temple housing world, the location of which is still unknown. They were first thought up during the fall of the Goge Vandire during the Age of Apostasy.

### Age of Apostasy

Given the rise of power against the 361st High Lord of the Administratum and the formation of the Brides of the Emperor, the Culexus Temple felt empathy of the Sisters of Silence found on Luna and offered them a new purpose of defining a world dedicated to people like them. Menny of the sisterhood said no, but there were some poticulely Oblivion Knight Vontica Neloco and a handful of Null Maiden that went to the planet with no star to take up the new mantle as the first incarnation of the Brides of Silentium.

### First incarnation

With the fall of the Age of Apostasy the Brides of Silentium dwindaled in number as time took its toll, the Culexus Temple at this time also struggled to meet the demands of the new High Lords of Terra and the ongoing Wars of Vindication. The Temples Grandmaster thus approved the construction of a Replicae Project and allowed the Magos Biologis of the world to vat-grow new candidates for the Culexus Temple. Clones that "Pariah Gene" poroved too week to begin training as Imperial Assassins are instead given rolls in upkeeping the Temple and its functions, the female candidates were given the choice of joining the formation of the second incarnation of the Brides of Silentium being trained in a manner darkly similar to the newly founded Adepta Sororitas methods.

### Current Incarnation

The current incarnation of the Brides of Silentium is a Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas with both vat-grown null maidens and their own Replicae Sisters of Silence who’s Pariah abilities are more potent then the null maidens that make up the bulk of their number, simply called null maiden superior. For the best part of 4 Millennium they have practiced void warfare and sentinel based deployment. With the birth of the Cicatrix Maledictum a new role has presented itself, and with much deliberation from the current Grandmaster of the Culexus Temple and a council of inquisitors, senior assassins and the Knight-Commander of the Brides of Silentium herself a new role was formalised.

They were unveiled to the newly resurrected Ultramrines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, the Lord Commander of the Imperium, as a solution to the vulnerability of the Back Ships within Imperium Nihilus. The defences of the Sisters of Silence aboard the ships no longer being adequate defence, the Brides of Silentium along with the Gray Fleet were revealed and with the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, Sisters of Silence and the Lord Commander of the Imperium blessing the operations of the Gray Fleet have begun.

The Gray Fleet untalise offensive void warfare to protect the Back Ships as they operate in the Imperium Nihilus. They have defended the black ships of one such occasion where they repelled and subsequently boarded a attacking Chaos Slaughter class cruiser. The combined Null aura of the Brides of Silentium that had boarded the enemy vessel restrained the dreaded cruiser from disengaging, nullifying their ability to enter the warp or utilize it. The cruiser, later identified as the Unblinking, was cleansed in holy fire and bolter before being reduced to rubble by the combined firepower of the *Tranquil Angel*, a Mars Class Battlecruiser and the Retribution Class Battleship *Pride of Silentium*.

### Citadel

Currently Fleet based to keep pace with the black ships, in a new fleet simply called the Gray Fleet. Menny commanding captains hold the rank of Knight Umbra and are held in high regard amongst the ranks of the Brides of Silentium despite many of them not being 'Blanks' themselves. The Grey Fleet contained a total of 60 vessels upon launch, with 4 Battleships, 26 Cruisers and 30 squadrons of Escorts listed. Bellow are ships of note known at this time, as well as the Captains that make up a part of the Gray Fleet.

## Organisation

The Brides of Silentium originated from the ranks of the Sisters of Silence, and in later millenniums have moved away from the rigid organisational structure of the sisterhood to support more roles that were crucial to the survival of the Culexus Temple. The Brides of Silentium in their first incarnation consisted purely of Vigilator, Prosecutor and Witchseeker squads. With events that occurred around their formation, particularly the Age of Apostasy, they have developed training similar to the Adepta Sororitas. In the current incarnation of the Brides of Silentium all maidens are put through training into becoming a Null Novice and subsequently into becoming a Null Maiden, with bolter training and ship maintenance being priorities of the training.

Maidens may then begin diverse training into combat medics or advanced weapon training. It is only the Maidens with most potent null aura effects that can begin training to become, what would pass as, the old incarnation of the order even sharing the squad names with the sisters of silence named as Silent Maidens. Those not offered the chance to join the ranks of the elites of the order will continue in rolls essential to defence and operations of the Gray Fleet of other missions. Silent Maidens are required to take the Vow of Tranquillity (to never speak again) and the vow of Relent (to never hold a position of power in the order). With these two vows they will hunt targets chosen by Knight Umbras and will aid Culexus Assassins to get to targets, known to be both distractions or crippling a vessel to remove the chance of escape.

The order has currently 3 core Preceptory Groups, the first has the role of garrison duty of their home world and the training new maidens in their way of battle. The second has the righteous duty of operating and maintaining the Gray Fleet, with each Commandery in control of a ship and what non-maiden crew may be aboard. The third has the holy mission of spreading the holy word of the coming Black Ships to worlds in Imperium Nihilus and to find other suitable or stable warp routes that cross the Cicatrix Maledictum.

* **Knight-Commander [*Canoness Superior*]**

* **Knight Pursuivant [*Canoness Preceptor*]**
	+ 'Nemesis Praxia' leader of the first Preceptory and responsible of training and safegarding.
	+ 'Nemesis Praefecti' leader of the second Preceptory and responsible for the Gray Fleet.
	+ 'Nemesis Quaesitor' leader of the third Preceptory and responsible for locating points to transverse and heralding the coming of the black ships.

* **Knight Umbra [Canoness Commander]**

* **Palatine Princeps**

* **Maiden Superior [Sister Superior]**

* **Silent Maiden [Sisters of Silence Variants]**

* **Maiden/Null Maiden [Sister - to each other]**

* **Null Novice [Child -  to each other]**

## Combat Doctrine

Charged with the safety of the black ships and operation of the Gray Fleet, their doctrines reflect boarding actions and assassination missions in enemy ships. They target the bridge and those responsible with navigation, be that renegade psykers or Heretic Astartes. Utilising Flamers for filling corridors with blessed fire or meltas for removing bulkheads that stand in the maidens way.

## Equipment

Due to the core operations of the Brides of Silentium being in void based environments, they are required to wear void sealed *Adepta Sororitas* Power Armour with the *Sabbat Pattern* Sororitas Helm only being allowed to be removed in the deep sanctums of their order. The Power Armour also has magnetic sole as well as closed loop comms device in the *Sabbat Pattern* helms.

Maidens taken into the orders elite ranks to be trained to be Silent Maidens are given modified Vratine Armour, which has been environmentally sealed for short void exposure survival but no more than a few minutes. The unnecessary risk to facilitate the ritual of outfitting Silent Maidens with this special type of Power Armour has been questioned by senior members of Culexus Temple. These worry have been put down when the Silent Maidens have taken to the field of battle in the relic Vratine Armour which allows greater movement and speed.

## Beliefs

The maidens of the Brides of Silentium are often practical in nature with a cool and uncompromising view of tasks and the world around them. This is largely due to the Brides of Silentium being “Soulless” and often find it hard to understand orders that originate from emotion. This has lead to accusations of insubordination when maidens have taken orders too literally, an example of this is when the crew of the *Silver Shard* (a Firestorm Frigate) was order to protect the black ships with their lives, the vessel proceed to brake formation with the rest of the fleet to pursue and subsequently ram the attacking Infidel Raider.

Due to the very nature of the order and its maidens being a violation of the Imperial Creed, has led to heated discussions between members of the Adeptus Ministorum and Adeptus Astra Telepathica. The Imperial Creed states that it is the duty of the faithful to purge the Heretic, beware the psyker and mutant, and abhor the alien. To date those possessing the Pariah Gene have not been listed as abhuman and to some are considered mutants. This is reflected in the beliefs of the order being described as the Imperial Creed with a death cult orientation.

* The God-Emperor of Mankind once walked among men in their form and that He is and always has been the one, true god of humanity.    The God-Emperor of Mankind is the one true God of Mankind, regardless of the previous beliefs held by any man or woman.
* It is the duty of the faithful to purge the Heretic, beware the psyker and mutant, and abhor the alien.
* We are mutants and will penitent to the God-Emperor of Mankind, who demands that by our hands shall the final heretics, mutants and aliens fall.
* We are sentinels, for the enemies of Mankind to crash upon and know only despair.
* Every human being has a place within the God-Emperor's divine order.
* It is the duty of the faithful to unquestionably obey the authority of the Imperial government and their superiors, who speak in the divine Emperor's name.

## Notable Personnel

* **Knight-Commander Vontica Neloco LII** - [+Omega-plus+] - Current Canoness Superior [title changed on her request] - Vontica Neloco was an Oblivion Knight of the Sisters of Silence during the 36th Millennium and bore witness to the end of the Age of Apostasy. Upon the conclusion of Goge Vandire’s life and the Decree Passive, the Culexus Temple approached the Luna fortress of Sisters of Silence and offered the chance to aid the Imperium and the Officio Assassinorum at large. Despite most of the dwindling numbers of the order turning down the offer, Vontica Neloco agreed and convinced a small number of Null Maidens to follow.
* **Knight-Pursuivant Irina Lebedev XXIV** -[+Omega-minus+] - Nemesis Praxia of the first Preceptory and strongest null within the order, under strict orders no *replicae* of *Irina Lebedev* may leave *the home world* nor meet face to face with anyone with a psy-level above +upsilon-plus+
* **Knight-Pursuivant Elitsa Ander XV** - [+Psi+] - Nemesis Praefecti of the second Preceptory and Admiral adviser for the Gray Fleet
* **Knight-Pursuivant Esmeralda** **Neloco II** - [+Psi-minus+] - Nemesis Quaesitor of the third Preceptory and herald of the Black Ships

## Order Appearance

### Order Colours

Bronze plating with gold inlay, with deep red robes. Parts of the armour are coloured black with more armour coloured this way to indicate the potency of the Pariah genes abilities. This has led to certain maidens having all of their armour blackened indicating they are members of the witch seekers squads, elite members the Brides of Silentium.

## Relations

### Allies

* **Culexus Temple**

* **Sisters of Silence Sisterhood**

* **Adeptus Astra Telepathica**

## Notable Quotes

### By:

"*Force those heretics to take the permanent oath of silence! With a bolt shell throw the skull or a blade throw the heart!*"
— Order transmitted to battle companies aboard the enemy vessel *the Unblinking* from a unknown personnel