Order of the Pointed Word
| Order of the Pointed Word | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Battle Cry | "With hymn and blade!" | |
| Daughters of | Order of the Sacred Oath | |
| Homeworld | Dar-al-Rashid | |
| Strength | ~3,000 (can swell to 10,000+ with the addition of non power armored forces) | |
| Specialty | High-Speed Disruption Tactics | |
| Allegiance | Imperium | |
| Colours | Blue, Gold, and Black | |
- "The Ecclesiarchy lost a Sororita Order in the High Lords' poker game! It's up to us to decide which order of armored flamethrower space nuns is being sold off to one of the other departments of the Imperium.."
- --Just another day on /tg/
Originally, the Order of the Pointed Word were an order that served the Mad Mamluks space marine chapter as the result of a Cardinal gambling them away in a drunken poker game. When /tg/ Codex Supplement - Faith Militant was released, they were treated a bit more seriously and revamped as an Arab-inspired order who rule the world of Dar-al-Rashid and are best known for their sharp intellect. Both versions of their lore are presented below.
Original Lore[edit | edit source]
An order of the Adepta Sororitas serving the Astartes Chapter known as the Mad Mamluks native to the planet Dar-al-Rashid. Although they can be found across the globe in one capacity or another they are predominantly located around the coasts. They were the original rulers of the planet until Cardinal Kir ul-Mamalek lost the planet and all things on it in a drunken poker game against an equally intoxicated Chapter Master Tomorbaatar.
To say that the Sisterhood was upset about this is an understatement.
Social place of the Order of the Pointed Word[edit | edit source]
At the top of the global social order is, ultimately and much to their eternal annoyance, the Chapter Master. The current Chapter Master is Sal'a'Din of the Far Wastes and King of the Rocky Ground. Beneath him is the Chapter Council of which the High Abbatissa and head of the Sisterhood proper is a member. Beneath her directly are the warriors she commands, also under her authority are the non-militant holy orders. The Sisterhood runs many hospitals, schools, orphanages and almost all of the places of worship. They have become integral to the running of Dar-al-Rashid.
Nu-Lore[edit | edit source]
Stewards of the desert world Dar-al-Rashid, the sisters of the Pointed Word place a high priority on knowledge, believing that a sharp mind is deadlier than any blade. Masterfully interpreting the flow of battle, the sisters of the Pointed Word combine speed, efficiency, and faith to annihilate the Ecclesiarchy's many foes.
Origins[edit | edit source]
Dar-al-Rashid is a world of salt and sand. The majority of its surface is covered by a hypersaline ocean known as the Bone Sea. While the saltiness of the ocean renders it dangerous for humans, it is nevertheless home to a number of primitive alien life forms, primarily crustaceans. The world has a single continent, Amira, which runs vertically through the planets eastern hemisphere, stretching from pole to pole. The entire continent is covered in a scorching desert. Life never crawled up from the ocean depths on Dar-al-Rashid and the deserts are completely lifeless, save for the human settlements which dot the coasts.
The inhospitable world would have likely never been colonized were it not for its vital location. Dar-al-Rashid is located on a point in space known to the Navis Nobilite as the Silver Junction, a place where several stable warp routes intersect with one another. When this junction was discovered by the rogue trader Safar al-Rashid, he swiftly established a colony on the world to safeguard local trade, as well as to line his pockets with a fee charged to each ship passing by the world. To see to its defense, he arranged for Canoness Salwa el-Hammad and her small preceptory of battle sisters to be reorganized into the order of the Pointed Word and deployed to the world.
Doctrine[edit | edit source]
Ever since they first deployed to the desiccated world, the sisters of the Pointed Word have proven vital to the administration of Dar-al-Rashid. The order maintains several hospitals, schools, and orphanages across the world, ensuring that the populace is both well-educated and fanatically loyal to the Adeptus Ministorum. The sisters' compassion for the downtrodden is without compare, and the poor are well cared for under their watch. Although Safar al-Rashid originally left a provincial governor in charge of the world, he proved corrupt and was swiftly replaced by the Canoness Superior of the Pointed Word, who has been the traditional ruler of Dar-al-Rashid ever since.
Of the many virtues extolled by the Imperial Creed, it is prudence that the sisters of the Pointed Word value above all. Intellect is highly prized in the order, and each battle sister is as much a scholar as they are a warrior. Their wisdom has proven decisive in dozens of campaigns across the Imperium.
When they don their armor and take to the battlefield, the sisters of the Pointed Word typically rely on high speed disruption tactics. Utilizing squads of bikes and seraphim, they launch devastating hit-and-run attacks before delivering the killing blow with a blitzkrieg of armored vehicles. Should the situation prove truly dire, they have been known to use their positions of authority to whip the common folk into a frenzy, creating massive hordes of frateris militia with which they can overwhelm any foe.
Tabletop Rules[edit | edit source]
Homebrew rules for your gaming pleasure, courtesy of /tg/ Codex Supplement - Faith Militant.
Order Conviction: Saintly Wisdom[edit | edit source]
The shrewd sisters of the Pointed Word are well-versed in the history of warfare, and always know the correct tactic to apply to the situation at hand.
Units with this conviction can still shoot in a turn in which they Fall Back, but if they do so, you must subtract 1 from their hit rolls in the Shooting phase. Furthermore, in addition to the normal dice substitutions allowed by Acts of Faith, units with this conviction can perform an Act of Faith for die rolls associated with Stratagems (such as the Test of Faith and Purity of Faith Stratagems).
Stratagem: Ride The Wind[edit | edit source]
The sisters of the Pointed Word constantly change their vector of attack to keep their foes off-guard.
This stratagem costs 1 Command Point. Use this Stratagem after an ORDER OF THE POINTED WORD unit from your army shoots in your Shooting phase. The unit can immediately move 6" as if it were the Movement phase (it cannot Advance as part of this move). However, it cannot charge in the same turn that it does so.
Warlord Trait: Master of Scripture[edit | edit source]
This leader is well-versed in the blessed literary works of the Ecclesiarchy, and always knows the correct verse to inspire her sisters.
When you perform an Act of Faith for a model or unit whilst it is within 6" of this Warlord, you can increase or decrease the value of one Miracle dice used by 1 before you use it, to a maximum of 6 and a minimum of 1. This is not cumulative with any other abilities that can increase or decrease the value of a Miracle dice (e.g. the Triumph of Saint Katherine’s Relics of the Matriarchs ability).
Relic: The Tome of Qanun Alkunsii[edit | edit source]
When she founded the Order of the Pointed Word, Canoness Salwa el-Hammad compiled this tome to direct the future of the nascent order. The resulting work is one of the finest treatises on strategy, governance, and faith in the Imperium, taking an even-handed approach that has proven to be remarkably effective, even in the centuries since her death. The Tome of Qanun Alkunsii is largely credited for the continued success of the Order of the Pointed Word, both in the governance of Dar-al-Rashid, and in their campaigns against the enemies of the Adeptus Ministorum.
ORDER OF THE POINTED WORD model only. Whilst the bearer is on the battlefield, each time you manifest an Act of Faith using a Miracle die with a value of 4, 5, or 6, you gain 1 Command Point.
Order Creation Traits[edit | edit source]
While this order wasn't created using the Sisters of Battle Order Creation Tables, this section details where they land on them in order to give a concise overview of the Pointed Word.
Order Originator: Order of the Sacred Oath
Purpose of Founding: Standing Force
Order Flaw: Pride in the Colors. The sisters of the Pointed Word are used to being in charge and don't easily submit themselves to the authority of others.
Order Demeanour: Swift As The Wind. Pointed Word battle doctrine is centered around speed, and they're masters of blitzkrieg.
Order Homeworld: Dar-al-Rashid, a desert world located at the intersection of several vital trade routes.
Influence Over Homeworld: Indisputable. The Order of the Pointed Word are the traditional rulers of the world and their word is law.
Order Organization: Standard
Order Strategy: Lightning Strike
Order Size: Nominal, and the order can always boost their numbers with the Dar-al-Rashid PDF and frateris militia.
Order Allies: The Pointed Word maintains an ancient pact with the al-Rashid Rogue Trader dynasty, and are also close allies with the Order of the Blinded Martyr.