Sister and Chaos

[Hashulaman]

We all know how Marines fall to Chaos, but what about Sisters? Or the res tof the inquisition for that matter?

[Elric of Grans]

I do not think Games Workshop can make up their mind on this one. I have read fluff that says it does not happen (except once), but they have also said it is just as bad as with the Marines. Like with any and all fluff, it is subject to the whims of what they want the galaxy to look like at the time.

[Tavion]

Speaking in my own opinion, the Inquistion is subceptible to corruption by the powers of Chaos. I believe a lot of that can be evidenced a serious number of times through the Eisenhorn trilogy. I know from the fluff provided from Daemonhunters codex, that the Grey knights are apparently invulnerable to corruption by the powers of the warp, but of course like most Space Marine Chapters, they try to claim glory whenever they are mentioned.

I would say it entirely possible that the Sisters of Battle are vulnerable to corruption, some would suggest that the entire order which the Sisters serve is corrupted, purging life without regard to diplomacy or allignment. Perhaps somewhat over-fanatical would be a way to describe them.

[Intrepid]

Sisters of Battle have no particular anti-daemon training or equipment, so it's reasonable to believe them susceptible to Chaos. In fact, they were originally the personal bodyguard of Lord Vandire during the Age of Apostasy. The Sisters were hostile to the Imperium until one of them had a personal audience with the Emperor, at which point they took out Vandire so fast he's probably as dead as Horus.

Inquisitors fall to Chaos all the time, especially Ordo Malleus. They have the training and equipment but are exposed constantly for their entire lives, and must learn about Chaos in order to do their work effectively. In fact, Radicalism is an established facet of Inquisition fluff.

Don't disrespect the Grey Knights. They really are immune to Chaos and they've murdered entire Chapters of Space Marines, for example the Flame Falcons. There was once a poll on who the best Marines were, Deathwatch, Grey Knights or Adeptus Custodes. The voting was pretty close.

Any reason you ask?

[Atma]

Well, arguably, the SoB have the best kind of training against Chaos--complete and utter contempt for it.

However, the Daughters of the Emperor were never against the Imperium. After all, Vandire was the head of the Ecclesiarchy, and if it weren't for the Storm of the Emperor's Wrath, Thor would've been smacked down so hard you would think he'd be the token Salamanders member of a Deathwatch killteam.

The fact that the Inquisition works so closely with Chaos means that they're more vulnerable to it. The Sisters merely burn, butcher, or blast anyone they even suspect of thinking heretical thoughts.

At any rate, just about everyone's taken out a Chapter of SMurfs here or there (except Tyranids, whose crunchy SMurf omelettes get retconned from 'dead' to 'has two companies left so HAH!'). Heck, the Sisters of Battle have taken out a chapter (Rainbow Warriors...bless Ordo Hereticus).

[Warrior47]

Well, I would say that it is probably possible that SOBs are corruptible, but it isn't likely. Unlike the GK, they aren't trained to kill daemons, haven't gone though the soul binding and don't have all the the specialized knowledge that the GK have, however, their faith is probably more than even marines. They are holy warriors who are at least partially trained to fight the warp and sorcerers, and are essentially trained to believe in the power of the Emperor above all else, while marines are trained more in the art of general killing so that they can fight anything from xenos to chaos. This means that the SOBs are going to be harder to turn than normal marines or even Inquisitors, but I still hold that they are human unlike GK, which does make them weaker.

I have read at least one story where a marine was turned but an SOB wasn't by the same force, but I believe that I have also read one where an SOB was turned. Other inquisitor forces are absolutely able to be corrupted. Quixos anyone?

EDIT: This story contains mention of a SOB who turned to Chaos

[Elric of Grans]

*** SPOILERS ***

She did not turn to Chaos. She fights it constantly in the story, possesses massive anti-daemon powers, and was taken to The Black Library since she knows the weakness of Slanesh. The Ordo Malleus, however, were convinced she had turned and spend the whole series trying to kill her.

[Lynata]

Yes, Sisters can be corrupted. It happens very rarely when compared to other Imperial forces like the Marines or the Guard, but there are a few documented incidents.

The strong sense of devotion and unity present in the Sisterhood is a double-edged sword here. Usually, the Sisters are kept in line by their faith and their superiors. Any transgression from the codices, anything that may be seen as vaguely suspicious or heretical will be dealt with swiftly and efficiently. The slightest infraction may warrant confession and penance at the hands of the Repentia Mistress - and due to their devotion, the Sisters neither ask nor resist, usually even report themselves if they have any doubts. Unlike with Marines or the Guard, devotion and humility are stronger than personal pride within the Sisterhood.

On the other hand, this strong commitment and sense of closeness can, of course, be exploited. Once Chaos has successfully infiltrated someone in the higher chain of command, fellow Sisters will be susceptible to manipulation by their superior, whose orders they usually follow without questions.

The most "vulnerable" spot within a Sororitas Order would be, in my opinion, the Repentia Mistress. All it takes for Chaos infiltration is this individual starting to actually enjoy her job of punishing and "dominating" those devoted beings who have been subjected to her "care" - which may start with the simple thought of enjoying to be able to work for the Emperor in this way. On the other hand, the devotees who are seeking penance and confession look up to the Mistress as their soul's savior, not for one second thinking about the possibility of her being it's utter doom...
And since the Mistress's sanctuary enjoys a steady flow of confessing Sisters, it is only a matter of time until the Orders ranks are infiltrated and the monastery is ripe for mutiny.

The Repentia Mistress is a perfect weak spot for Slaanesh corruption, and all known incidents in the fluff do indeed say it has always been Slaanesh. Of course, this looks like it is influenced from some authors' preference when thinking about "hot women + fetish/BDSM" (as the alternatives do look less sexy), but either way, this is how it's written in the fluff.
I do think that Khorne might be a good alternative to Slaanesh, though. Not as strong, of course, but the Sisters' fanatism for cleansing and purging may be a nice hook for bloodlust.

Anyhow, here's a short list of incidents known to me:

- unknown Sister (probably a Repentia Mistress) from the Order of Our Martyred Lady, in "Daemonifuge"
- a complete hidden convent of the Order Pronatus on Parnis, in "Daemonifuge"
and most important:
- rogue Sister Miriael Sabathiel, Champion of Slaanesh, in "The Invitation"

[Hashulaman]

Well I don't see the Sisters as capable of being power hungry, so no tzeentch there. They do not fear death either, so Nurgle is out. That leave Khorne and Slannesh by default. As for inquisiotrs themselves, tzeentch has a better chance to corrupt ambitious inquistors and Automotons like the Sisters. I agree Grey kngiths can't be corrupted. They have been in the presence of the Emperor. There are inquisitors that try use Chaos on itself, while it's an origional idea and might have merit (Lets face it, our favorite Chaos gods fight among each other almost as much as the imperium) It still leave them perilously close to corruption. How they themselves have not been Burned as heretics for their practices is beyond me.

[Lynata]

Originally Posted by Hashulaman

How they themselves have not been Burned as heretics for their practices is beyond me.

That's simple - they don't get caught.

There's fluff dealing with this topic, explaining that indeed such Inquisitors often get targeted by other fellow Inquisitors. The Inquisition watches itself just as watches the rest of the Imperium, after all. And in the end, it's all about making ties and political movements and scheming.
Technically, according to the fluff, Adepta Sororitas Purity Control squadrons test even Inquisitors for any signs of corruption - but the fluff also mentions that "the Inquisition" (more likely one of it's many sub-factions) usually quietly moves it's more suspicious Inquisitors away before the Purity Control teams arrive to take their samples and/or execute any deviants.