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Canoness

2023-01-15T12:51:19Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:B88B:B3A3:D103:372C: /* Canoness Rank Variations */

[[File:Canoness.jpg|340px|right|thumb|Those spiked boots are meant to destroy the manhood of heretics, mutants, and aliens alike.]]

The '''Canoness''' is a series of officer ranks within the [[Adepta Sororitas]]

They range from the '''Canoness-Superiors''' in command of entire Orders; the '''Canoness-Preceptors''' ''(analagous to [[Chapter Master]])'' in command of the various Preceptories of roughly 1000 sisters, down to '''Canoness-Commander''' ''(analogous to [[Brother-Captain|Captain]])'' in command of roughly 200 sisters.

All Canoness grades are above the rank of '''[[Palatine]]''' ''(the commander of a Mission of various squads)'' but are subordinate to their '''Prioress''' ''(one of two leaders in charge of either the Convent Prioris or the Convent Sanctorum)'' while the highest rank of all Sisters belongs to the [[High Lords of Terra|Abbess of the Adepta Sororitas]]. However for all practical applications the Canoness is the highest ranked Sister who has an active role in the day to day operations of the sisterhood in any of the Militant or Non-Militant orders.

Like the Space Marine Legions that were broken up into chapters by our [[Roboute Guilliman|spiritual liege,]] the main militant Orders from the Sisters of Battle have been split into smaller Orders. But whereas the Space Marine's chapters are seen as equals with their parent chapters, the Orders of the Adepta Sororitas that were established by the '''"Ecclesiarchy Writ"''' are ranked higher in the order of precedence than those that were formed by a group splitting off from a pre-existing order. This is especially true of the six Orders Militant, each of which has spawned dozens of far smaller Lesser Orders Militant, the Canonesses of which rank lower in the Order of precedence than those of their parent Order.

They do not actually wield Cannons.

== Overview ==

A Canoness is a veteran of many battles who has risen to her position through a combination of [[Vance Stubbs|strong leadership,]] [[Creed|shrewd tactical genius,]] [[Ultramarines|obedience and compliance with the]] [[Codex Astartes|Ecclesiarchy and above all,]] [[Inquisition|her sheer overarching faith in the God-Emperor.]] The Canoness often fight at the front line along with her sisters but can also act as a commander at the back, to order strategic strikes against well entrenched enemies. Non-military duties includes leading the Order in its prayer services, performing rites of initiation and overseeing the running of the Order. As a result, a Canoness inspires intense devotion in her Battle Sisters, leading them from the fore whilst reciting the great hymns of the Adeptus Ministorum.

While the Canoness have very similar attributes and duties as a Chapter Master, one of the very unique differences is that members of the Adepta Sororitas can and do transfer from one Order to another, depending on their own unique skills and experience. In particular, a sister of an Order Militant may eventually transfer to a non-militant order so that she can carry on the Emperor's work should age or injury render her a less effective warrior. Furthermore, it is not unheard of for a senior member of the Sisterhood to transfer to another Imperial organisation entirely; several Canonesses are known to have become Inquisitors, one became a Cardinal Palatine and one even became a [[Rogue Trader]] (Possibly trying to spread the Emperor's light in a more efficient way).

== Canoness Rank Variations ==

While the Lesser Orders may only have a single Canoness to lead the entire order, the Greater Orders, which often number in the thousands of Battle Sisters, require many Canonesses to operate with any level of efficiency. It is also worth noting that the Non-militant Orders also follow the same ranking system, although due to the dispersal of their numbers they may only functionally operate at the lowest tiers of deployment.
*'''Canoness Superior:''' also known as ''Mater Canonesses'' or ''Superionnes''. These women of faith command one of the entire ''Orders'' of the Adepta Sororitas making them rare and remarkable individuals. It falls to them to direct the actions of their subordinate Canonesses.
*'''Canoness Preceptor:''' Some Orders, notably the Greater Orders, maintain subsidiary sanctuaries, the largest of which are referred to as ''Preceptories''. The term is also used to define the largest organizational unit an Order is ever likely to field, [[Codex Astartes|numbering up to 1,000 Battle-Sisters]], cloistered together at one location. The Canoness who commands a Preceptory has the title Canoness Preceptor.
*'''Canoness Commander:''' The term Canoness Commander is used to describe the officer who leads a smaller sanctuary known as a ''Commandery'', perhaps little more than a shrine and a garrison of Battle-Sisters cloistered together to defend it. A Commandery will be junior to a Preceptory, and the term is also used as a company level subdivision of a Preceptory, consisting of up to 200 Battle Sisters.
*'''Palatine:''' A ''Mission'' is the smallest organisational unit of the Adepta Sororitas, and normally consists of a number of squads of Battle-Sisters assembled to achieve a specified objective. A Mission may be led by a Palatine, chosen from amongst the veteran sisters available, or by a more senior Canoness depending upon the importance of the objective.
*'''Canoness Errant: ''' Less of an official rank and more of an organisational loophole. Sometimes, through one thing or another an order is destroyed, purged, goes missing or otherwise "failed" the order in anyway. Any remaining sisters will typically be reassigned to another order but the Canoness can elect not to, either in remembrance or atonement, depending on the circumstances. They effectively become a mix of questing knight and Inquisitor, wandering the galaxy and purging things her own way, effectively becoming an order of one individual. They technically don't wield any actual power, but much like the Astartes, most Imperial authorities tend to go along with what they say.

== Equipment ==

Being the head honcho of a Sisters convent, the Canoness is allowed plenty of snazzy wargear and equipment. This includes but is not limited to: [[Sisters of Battle Armour|Sororitas Power Armour]] (Adapted for normal human female anatomy), [[Sororitas Boltgun|Godwyn-De'az Boltgun]] (Adapted for normal human anatomy), [[Bolt Pistol]] (Adapted for normal human anatomy), Frag Grenades and Krak Grenades.

The Bolter and/or Bolt Pistol can be replaced with a [[Hand Flamer|Brazier of holy fury]], [[Chainsword]], a [[Storm Bolter|Godwyn-De'az Pattern Storm Bolter]], [[Power sword|Power Sword]], Blessed Blade, [[Combi-Flamer]], [[Combi-Melta]], [[Combi-Plasma|Combi-Plasma gun]], [[Condemner Boltgun|Condemnor Pattern Bolter]], [[Plasma Pistol]], [[Inferno Pistol]], [[Chain weapon#Eviscerator|Eviscerator]] or a [[Power weapon#Null Rod|Null Rod]] (specialized power weapon used to nullify psychic powers) while some veteran Canonesses will also carry a Rosarius and [[Melta Bomb]]s.

== Notable Canonesses ==

There are quite a number of named Canonesses, but here are the most notable ones.
*'''Agnes:''' The Canoness most notable in her involvement in Sister's Snuff Film#1 [[Sanctuary 101|Sanctuary 101.]] A Canoness of the Order of Our Martyred Lady.
*'''Aspira:''' A Canoness and [[Living Saint|Saint]] coming from the Order of the Bloody Rose who led her Battle Sisters in a War of Faith that liberated nearly one hundred worlds from the grip of the blasphemous tyrant Denescura.
*'''Chrisima:''' A Canoness Preceptor of the Order of the Argent Shroud who led her Order at the behest of the notorious Confessor Petasus, who led his pogrom against the mutants of Charak. She is a complete bitch so make of that what you will.
*'''Galatea:''' Canoness of the Order of Our Martyred Lady in Neva.
*'''[[Canoness Superior Junith Eruita|Junith Eruita]]:''' A renowned leader of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, notable for traveling into battle on a flying pulpit with built-in heavy flamers.
*'''Lunaria:''' Canoness of the Order of the Vermillion Hand. In 941.M41, she gave her life fighting alongside the [[Grey Knights]] Chapter during the valiant defense of the world of Decimalus, to halt the Plague of Madness caused by the Lord of Change, Ix'thar'ganix, a foe that had long eluded the Grey Knights. No she is not related to that [[Khornate Knights|particular incident.]]
*'''Magda Grace:''' Canoness of the Order of the Sacred Rose, [[Salamanders|she has quite the obsession and a staunched advocate of the sacred trinity of bolter, flamer and melta weaponry. She is the stereotypical Nuns with Guns.]]
*'''Praxedes:''' Saint Praxedes of Ophelia VII was a Canoness of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and renowned hero of the Imperium of Man's Ultima Segmentum during the Second Tyrannic War. She was martyred upon the Cardinal World of Okassis after leading a valiant defense against the encroaching Tyranid menace.
*'''Sariah:''' A Canoness of the Order of the Sacred Rose. In 835.M41, she led a force of Battle Sisters to the former Shrine World of Piety, which rematerialized after being swallowed by a Warp Storm two centuries earlier. She got her prize (Which consists of the [[Wat|left thigh bone of Saint Dolan]] and three pages of the ominous Lexicon of Falsehoods from a stasis vault) shortly after the Grey Knights [[Exterminatus|blew up the planet with Cyclonic Torpedoes.]]
*'''[[Selena Agna]]:''' A Canoness of the Order of the Sacred Rose most notable in her introduction in [[Dawn of War|Dawn of War Soulstorm]] who personally led her Order in the purge of the Kaurava System. Like almost every single character save for [[Vance Stubbs|Stubbs]], Selena has the personality of a wet sock but was at least notable for having a somewhat manly death (It involved martyrdom by fire, how Sisterly like) along with [[Indrick Boreale]] [[Derp|of all people,]] while the other faction leaders either ran away like pussies or have a hilarious mental breakdown. She was <s>defeated by [[Gorgutz]]</s>{{BLAM}} {{BLAM|sadly put down by [[Vance Motherfucking Stubbs|Vance Stubbs]]}}. Her prefered tactic is to launch a "Crusade" after their faith power is full. The faith power is able to grant invincibility and other buffs to her sisters, allow them to tank even the Baneblade's Eleven Barrels of Hell. Sadly, the faith power does not last long enough for <s>Gorgutz's power klaw [[FATAL| to penetrate Selena's cunt]]</s>{{BLAM}}{{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Vance Stubbs to defeat her and permit her to immolate herself rather than stain her [[Order of the Sacred Rose|Order's]] honor by admitting that she was wrong to stand against him}}. Her base is also protected by an invincible living saint who has the power to teleport to the 4 living saint statue near Selena's base. Again, this meant little to <s>Gorgutz</s> {{BLAM|STUBBS}} for he could just separate his <s>boyz</s> {{BLAM|stalwart guardsmen}} and destroy each statue.
*'''Sepherina:''' A Canoness of the Order of Our Martyred Lady who led the Sororitas effort to reconsecrate Sanctuary 101 after its destruction by the Necrontyr. A powerful military leader who felt solely responsible for Sanctuary's demise, as she was originally supposed to command the Convent there until circumstances meant that duty fell to another.
* '''[[Canoness-Errant Setheno|Setheno]]:''' A Canoness-Errant and one scary lady. Previously the Cannoness of the Order of the Piercing Thorn, a minor order that became corrupted and was purged by Setheno herself. Rather than be reassigned to another order, she became the Sororitas equivalent of a Inquisitor. Despite the fact that she has zero temporal power, she was able to take authority over a Space Marine chapter and an Inquisitor (both of whom outrank and wield more independent power themselves) by sheer force of personality and her reputation as an utterly uncompromising spiritual authority and judge. She also knew Yarrick throughout his career and was present during the 2nd War for Armageddon.
* '''[[Canoness Veridyan|Veridyan]]:''' Best known for being the cover girl of the Second Edition codex. Also one of the central protagonists for Marvel's Sisters of Battle comic.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Sisters of Battle]]

{{Template:Sisters-of-Battle}}

Ophelia VII

2023-01-15T07:00:10Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:B88B:B3A3:D103:372C: /* Trivia */

[[File:Opheliaworld.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The second holiest of floating space cathedrals.]]
'''Ophelia VII''' is the oldest Cardinal World and one of the holiest planets of the Imperium of Man, second only to [[Terra]] itself. It is more or less exactly the planet Horus was having nightmares about when Chaos corrupted him on Davin.

==Overview and History==

Ophelia VII was rediscovered by the Imperium during the [[Great Crusade]] and was personally reconquered by the [[Emperor]] himself, leading a force of one hundred [[Adeptus Custodes|Custodians]] and ten thousand [[Imperial Fists]].

After the end of the [[Horus Heresy]] and the rise of the [[Imperial Cult]], Ophelia became one of the wealthiest planets in the Imperium, and was the diocese of Benedin IV as a cardinal prior to his assumption of the office of Ecclesiarch in the mid-36th Millennium. When Benedin decided that the High Lords of Terra were cramping the Adeptus Ministorum's style, he decided to pack up and move the entire thing off Terra and onto a new world. Ophelia VII was a natural choice, for several reasons: Benedin was already familiar with the planet from his time as its cardinal, it was wealthy beyond belief, and it was far enough away from Terra that the High Lords wouldn't be able to muck around with the Ministorum. It was during this time that Ophelia came into its own as a Cardinal World. Benedin ordered the construction of unbelievably huge cathedrals on the planet to cement its new status as the center of the Ministorum's power. [[What|These cathedrals covered over 90,000 square miles of land and were four kilometers high. For reference, that's three times the size of Portugal and almost enough to cover the entirety of Great Britain.]] This was only the start, however.
Ophelia's distance from Terra allowed Benedin and his successors to raise vast amounts of money through tithing, much of which they poured into turning the planet into the single largest shrine to the Emperor in Imperial space. More enormous cathedrals, bell towers, shrines, and monuments were built, linked by massive avenues lined with statues of Imperial saints. Further, the Ecclesiarchs encouraged cardinals on other worlds to outdo each other in dropping colossal sums of money on their own mega-cathedrals, statues, and shrines. Deviant cults and heretics were rooted out and exterminated with extreme prejudice, and the Ministorum slowly consolidated its power over all matters spiritual in the Imperium. After three hundred years, Ecclesiarch Greigor XI decided to move the whole production back to Terra for no apparent reason. It took twelve years and a decent chunk of the money in the Ministorum's treasuries, but the Ecclesiarchal Palace was once again made ready to host the spiritual leaders of the Imperium.

==That One Heretical Fucker and the Sisters of Battle==

During the [[Age of Apostasy]], [[Goge Vandire]]'s tyrannical reign over the Imperium caused some of his opponents in the Ministorum to try and flee for Ophelia VII; [[Ork Snipers|for reasons unknown, their ship was lost somewhere in the Warp]]. Once Vandire had been thoroughly BLAMMED by Alicia Dominica and Sebastian Thor was kicked into the big chair to replace him, he decided to set up the Synod Ministra on Ophelia. The purpose of this new organization was twofold. First, it would allow the Ministorum's decrees to be propagated more easily across Imperial space. [[Second Founding|Second, by serving as a second center of power for the Ministorum, it would ensure that no single individual, not even an Ecclesiarch, could ever seize control of the entire organization]]. Apparently Thor had been paying attention to Guilliman's ideas. This meant that the newly formed [[Adepta Sororitas]] would also be split between the two worlds, again to ensure that no one individual could control the Ecclesiarchy's entire army of hymn-singing bolter bitches. Therefore, the Convent Sanctorum was founded and headquartered on Ophelia VII. This makes it the home base of three of the six major Orders Militant: the [[Order of the Bloody Rose]], the [[Order of Our Martyred Lady]], and the [[Order of the Valorous Heart]], along with half of the Orders Famulous, Dialogous, and Hospitaller. Two famous members of the Sororitas also hail from Ophelia VII, Saint Praxedes and Saint Helena the Virtuous.

==41st-42nd Millennium==

Ophelia was hard-hit by the forces of Chaos during the [[13th Black Crusade]] and the eruption of the Cicatrix Maledictum. The planet and its system were invaded and actually conquered by a [[Lord of Change]] known as the Tyrant of Blueflame. The Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady fought furiously against this desecration, but the Tyrant's forces were overwhelming and they sustained nearly 50% casualties. The Sisters were on the verge of resigning themselves to a glorious death when [[Roboute Guilliman|Grandpa Smurf]]'s [[Indomitus Crusade|Galactic Comeback Tour]] and the [[Black Templars]] came charging in at the last moment, smashing the Tyrant's forces and driving them off the planet. Guilliman left a garrison force of Black Templars under Marshal Armond Montfort in the system to guard against further incursions. Unfortunately, they were called away to help [[Saint Celestine]] reconquer the planet of San Leor, and the Tyrant promptly attacked the system again, this time invading the planet of Ophelia IV with the aid of the [[Alpha Legion]] and a shitload of cultists. His goal was to use the planet to complete a Warp ritual that would allow him to unleash a horde of daemons on Ophelia VII, but Celestine herself turned up and kicked his feathery ass out of the system.

==Trivia==

In the [[Warhammer 40,000 2nd edition|early days of 40K canon]], Ophelia VII was instead known as Ophelia IV or 4, though nobody seems to know why it got changed. [[40K Rules Blooper Reel|Good chance it was a typo that no one caught until it was too late]].

The whole thing with the Ecclesiarchy packing up and moving to Ophelia VII for a few centuries is most likely based on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_Papacy| Avignon Papacy] of 1309-1376, when the French king Philip IV strong-armed the cardinals of the Catholic church into electing his close friend Bertrand de Got as the new Pope, who then refused to move to the Vatican and set up shop in the city of Avignon. The reasons for this are complicated and deal with the role of the state vs. the church in temporal/political matters, but it basically boils down to Philip wanting to prove a point about how nobody told him what to do when it came to running his kingdom, sort of the reverse of the 40K scenario.

{{40k-Planets}}
[[Category:Imperial]]

Ophelia VII

2023-01-15T06:59:43Z

2001:8003:1C20:8C00:B88B:B3A3:D103:372C: /* Trivia */

[[File:Opheliaworld.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The second holiest of floating space cathedrals.]]
'''Ophelia VII''' is the oldest Cardinal World and one of the holiest planets of the Imperium of Man, second only to [[Terra]] itself. It is more or less exactly the planet Horus was having nightmares about when Chaos corrupted him on Davin.

==Overview and History==

Ophelia VII was rediscovered by the Imperium during the [[Great Crusade]] and was personally reconquered by the [[Emperor]] himself, leading a force of one hundred [[Adeptus Custodes|Custodians]] and ten thousand [[Imperial Fists]].

After the end of the [[Horus Heresy]] and the rise of the [[Imperial Cult]], Ophelia became one of the wealthiest planets in the Imperium, and was the diocese of Benedin IV as a cardinal prior to his assumption of the office of Ecclesiarch in the mid-36th Millennium. When Benedin decided that the High Lords of Terra were cramping the Adeptus Ministorum's style, he decided to pack up and move the entire thing off Terra and onto a new world. Ophelia VII was a natural choice, for several reasons: Benedin was already familiar with the planet from his time as its cardinal, it was wealthy beyond belief, and it was far enough away from Terra that the High Lords wouldn't be able to muck around with the Ministorum. It was during this time that Ophelia came into its own as a Cardinal World. Benedin ordered the construction of unbelievably huge cathedrals on the planet to cement its new status as the center of the Ministorum's power. [[What|These cathedrals covered over 90,000 square miles of land and were four kilometers high. For reference, that's three times the size of Portugal and almost enough to cover the entirety of Great Britain.]] This was only the start, however.
Ophelia's distance from Terra allowed Benedin and his successors to raise vast amounts of money through tithing, much of which they poured into turning the planet into the single largest shrine to the Emperor in Imperial space. More enormous cathedrals, bell towers, shrines, and monuments were built, linked by massive avenues lined with statues of Imperial saints. Further, the Ecclesiarchs encouraged cardinals on other worlds to outdo each other in dropping colossal sums of money on their own mega-cathedrals, statues, and shrines. Deviant cults and heretics were rooted out and exterminated with extreme prejudice, and the Ministorum slowly consolidated its power over all matters spiritual in the Imperium. After three hundred years, Ecclesiarch Greigor XI decided to move the whole production back to Terra for no apparent reason. It took twelve years and a decent chunk of the money in the Ministorum's treasuries, but the Ecclesiarchal Palace was once again made ready to host the spiritual leaders of the Imperium.

==That One Heretical Fucker and the Sisters of Battle==

During the [[Age of Apostasy]], [[Goge Vandire]]'s tyrannical reign over the Imperium caused some of his opponents in the Ministorum to try and flee for Ophelia VII; [[Ork Snipers|for reasons unknown, their ship was lost somewhere in the Warp]]. Once Vandire had been thoroughly BLAMMED by Alicia Dominica and Sebastian Thor was kicked into the big chair to replace him, he decided to set up the Synod Ministra on Ophelia. The purpose of this new organization was twofold. First, it would allow the Ministorum's decrees to be propagated more easily across Imperial space. [[Second Founding|Second, by serving as a second center of power for the Ministorum, it would ensure that no single individual, not even an Ecclesiarch, could ever seize control of the entire organization]]. Apparently Thor had been paying attention to Guilliman's ideas. This meant that the newly formed [[Adepta Sororitas]] would also be split between the two worlds, again to ensure that no one individual could control the Ecclesiarchy's entire army of hymn-singing bolter bitches. Therefore, the Convent Sanctorum was founded and headquartered on Ophelia VII. This makes it the home base of three of the six major Orders Militant: the [[Order of the Bloody Rose]], the [[Order of Our Martyred Lady]], and the [[Order of the Valorous Heart]], along with half of the Orders Famulous, Dialogous, and Hospitaller. Two famous members of the Sororitas also hail from Ophelia VII, Saint Praxedes and Saint Helena the Virtuous.

==41st-42nd Millennium==

Ophelia was hard-hit by the forces of Chaos during the [[13th Black Crusade]] and the eruption of the Cicatrix Maledictum. The planet and its system were invaded and actually conquered by a [[Lord of Change]] known as the Tyrant of Blueflame. The Sisters of the Order of Our Martyred Lady fought furiously against this desecration, but the Tyrant's forces were overwhelming and they sustained nearly 50% casualties. The Sisters were on the verge of resigning themselves to a glorious death when [[Roboute Guilliman|Grandpa Smurf]]'s [[Indomitus Crusade|Galactic Comeback Tour]] and the [[Black Templars]] came charging in at the last moment, smashing the Tyrant's forces and driving them off the planet. Guilliman left a garrison force of Black Templars under Marshal Armond Montfort in the system to guard against further incursions. Unfortunately, they were called away to help [[Saint Celestine]] reconquer the planet of San Leor, and the Tyrant promptly attacked the system again, this time invading the planet of Ophelia IV with the aid of the [[Alpha Legion]] and a shitload of cultists. His goal was to use the planet to complete a Warp ritual that would allow him to unleash a horde of daemons on Ophelia VII, but Celestine herself turned up and kicked his feathery ass out of the system.

==Trivia==

In the [[Warhammer 40,000 2nd edition|early days of 40K canon]], Ophelia VII was instead known as Ophelia IV or 4, though nobody seems to know why it got changed. [[40k Rules Blooper Reel|Good chance it was a typo that no one caught until it was too late]].

The whole thing with the Ecclesiarchy packing up and moving to Ophelia VII for a few centuries is most likely based on the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_Papacy| Avignon Papacy] of 1309-1376, when the French king Philip IV strong-armed the cardinals of the Catholic church into electing his close friend Bertrand de Got as the new Pope, who then refused to move to the Vatican and set up shop in the city of Avignon. The reasons for this are complicated and deal with the role of the state vs. the church in temporal/political matters, but it basically boils down to Philip wanting to prove a point about how nobody told him what to do when it came to running his kingdom, sort of the reverse of the 40K scenario.

{{40k-Planets}}
[[Category:Imperial]]