Order of the Blinded Martyr

Order of the Blinded Martyr
Battle Cry "Give them nothing! Take from them everything!"
Founding	Unknown
Daughters of	Order of the Valorous Heart
Homeworld	Lycia
Strength	Endangered
Allegiance	Imperium
Colours	Black, Blue, and Silver

Overview

The Order's colors

A Spartan-inspired Order, the sisters of the Blinded Martyr are warriors first and foremost, and devote themselves to perfecting the arts of war. In battle, they endeavor to attack under adverse conditions, preferring to fight in darkness, rain, and fog, forcing their foes to engage them at a disadvantage. To this end, they train constantly on how to fight in these conditions, and their pilots are some of the best in the Adepta Sororitas.

Combat Doctrine

A typical attack will usually feature Dominions and Seraphim operating far in advance of the main force, scouting the enemy out, pinpointing weaknesses, and relaying information to the main army so they can time their attack properly. An attack by the sisters of the Blinded Martyr is usually preceded by a massive aerial attack, with Avengers strafing targets of opportunity while Seraphim emerge from the darkness to plant melta bombs on key enemy weak points. While the enemy is still reeling from this, the main body of the army, which had been carefully advancing through the darkness this whole time, quickly closes the distance and makes short work of the survivors.

Despite a high degree of coordination and strategic competence, once battle is joined, the sisters of the Blinded Martyr become extremely fixated on achieving victory, and have little regard for casualties. In particular, they have particularly high attrition rates among Dominion squads. And if they encounter an enemy who can actually deal with their tactics... let's just say they're endangered for a reason.

Homeworld

The garden world of Lycia

The Order is stationed on the temperate garden world of Lycia. The local populace are well-educated folk who place a high priority on philosophy, art, and politics. They are also horrible at fighting and their planet has an issue with corruption, hence why the order was established. The sisters don't really interact with the local government, as in their view, the Sisters Militant are called to the holy arts of war, not politics. The only function of politicians is to ensure they have enough fuel and ammunition to shield the Emperor's people and spread the Emperor's word.

Culturally, the sisters are similar to Spartans (hence the no retreat, no surrender mentality). When they aren't actively fighting, they're training or engaging in contests to test their physical and mental fitness against one another. Peculiarly, the sisters also regularly engage in a form of ritual scarification meant to help focus their faith. It is whispered that whatever corruption has taken hold on the planet has also affected the sisters in some way. Although no heretics have ever been officially found amongst their number, they seem to be even more wary than usual of sin within their ranks, and have an unusually high rate of lethal training accidents (which also doesn't help their endangered status)

Alliance with the Pointed Word

The alliance with the Order of the Pointed Word came about when a WAAAAGH! hit a shrine world. The Imperium had seen the Ork fleet coming months in advance and moved a bunch of sisters from both orders to defend the planet. Initially, there was a lot of tension between the two orders, as the sisters of the Pointed Word tend to be well-educated and focused on politics and administration whereas the sisters of the Blinded Martyr see war as their main duty. Both sides had very different visions for the defense of the world, and it was clear to all parties involved that both sides wanted to get this war over with and split ways as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the ork warboss was particularly kunnin' and after a few skirmishes, figured out the Blinded Martyr's M.O. and lured them into a trap which saw almost all of their forces wiped out. Following this, there just weren't enough sisters of the Pointed Word to hold the orks back and most of them got BTFO'd as well, only leaving about 100 sisters from both orders remaining. They were ordered to retreat and evacuate, but rather than doing this, the two remaining commanders from each order, both sister superiors, resolved to set aside their differences for the moment and stop the orks from looting any priceless relics.

What followed was an extensive guerilla campaign. The sisters of the Blinded Martyr would scout targets of opportunity for the Pointed Word to come in and launch devastating hit-and-run attacks. As the months wore on, the sisters from each order learned to appreciate each other's perspectives, learning that perhaps their methods were not as incompatible as their erstwhile superiors had thought. Eventually, they discovered the warboss's base of operations and launched a daring raid which saw him and most of his subordinates slain, throwing the WAAAAGH! into chaos and infighting, making them easy pickings.

After the campaign, the two sides parted amicably, the sisters superior planting the seeds for a future alliance between the two orders. The sister superior of the Blinded Martyr went on to become the order's Canoness Superior who launched a daring raid on an Eldar craftworld.

Original Rolls

The Fortress-Convent of the Blinded Martyr

Created using the Sisters of Battle Order Creation Tables.

Order Originator: Daughters of the Order of the Valorous Heart

Purpose of Founding: Standing Force, founded to provide protection and spiritual guidance to the world of Lycia.

Order Flaw: An Eye For An Eye

Order Demeanour: See, But Don't Be Seen

Figure of Legend: A Canoness Superior who led a daring raid on the Eldar Craftworld Imak.

Order Homeworld: Lycia, a temperate garden world led by philosopher-kings.

Influence Over Homeworld: None, the sisters of the Blinded Martyr are wholly devoted to practicing the art of war and have no time for politics.

Order Organization: Standard Organization

Order Strategy: Close Air Support; the Order makes extensive use of Seraphim and Avenger Strike Fighters.

Order Method of Worship: Honor Those Gone Before; the Order places a high priority on rank and experience, its sisters looking to the wisest among them for guidance in these dark times.

Order Size: Endangered; the Order is constantly on the verge of being wiped out, numbering only a few hundred Battle Sisters.

Order Allies: The sisters of the Blinded Martyr share a close bond with the Order of the Pointed Word.

Order Enemies: The Order are steadfast opponents of the Orks.

Links

• The thread that created this order