Orders Famulous - History: The non-militant Orders Famulous of the Adepta Sororitas serve amongst the households of the highest of the Imperium of Man's nobility, acting as chamberlains, counsellors and consuls. They broker inter-house alliances, trade deals, and marriages, and their hand is ever at work amongst the highest echelons of Imperial power. The Sisters Famulous are skilled diplomats, able to reconcile the most bitter of rivals, but their true mission is often performed entirely behind the scenes. Where the Sisters Famulous have worked over the last several millennia, tithes have been maintained or increased, trade has improved, and in general the population has fared better than on other worlds. With such clear evidence of the benefits that they bring, the Sisters Famulous are in high demand amongst noble families throughout the Imperium.Novice Sisters who display strong communication skills and a distinct ability to stay calm under pressure are often drafted into the Orders Famulous. Unlike most other Orders in the Sisterhood, Sororitas in this non-militant role are trained in critical thinking, etiquette, and the economics of interstellar trade and commerce in addition to their focus on devotional studies and service. As they learn, they are sent to noble houses and trade consortiums to help guide the nobility. From the nobility's point of view, the Sister's role is to help their house. For the Sisterhood, however, their efforts are intended to influence a noble's decisions so that his work will help the greater Imperium as well as advance his house's selfish interests.Greatly concerned with the spiritual and genetic purity of the human race, through their arranging of alliances and marriages, Sisters Famulous are able to take a direct hand in the fate of humanity -- for those they counsel wield the power of whole worlds and control the fates of billions. The servants of the Orders Famulous do not openly discuss this element of their work, even with other members of the Sisterhood, but many do appear to have extensive contact with members of the Inquisition, especially the Ordo Hereticus. Within the ranks of that order, the Sisters Famulous seem to maintain the most extensive contacts with those who subscribe to the doctrines of the Thorian sect of the Inquisition.The Sisters Famulous keep extensive records of the bloodlines and mercantile dealings of virtually every noble family within their assigned sector. Combined with the records of the Orders Hospitaller and the Orders Dialogous, Sisters Famulous have access to an extensive history of the noble families in their area of the galaxy. Their knowledge makes them very valuable to Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors, particularly the Thorians, as tracing the bloodlines of well-known Heretics has often uncovered leads on much larger conspiracies.Much of the work of these Sisters also involves tracking the manifestations of saints, and they often become involved in the arcane process of determining whether or not an individual is to be beatified. They are also deeply involved in investigations surrounding the appearance of so-called Living Saints. Perhaps due to their connection with the Thorians and their manipulation of noble bloodlines, they have on several occasions predicted and prepared for the arrival of a Living Saint long before she was even born.Like their fellow non-militant Orders, the Orders Famulous are divided between the Convent Sanctorum on Ophelia VII, which includes the Order of the Key and the Order of the Gate, and the Convent Prioris on Terra, which includes the Order of the Holy Seal and the Order of the Sacred Coin.