Orders Dialogous

"Words are the weapons of our enemies. I have seen an apostate sermon cut through a soul like a chainsword. Leaving nothing but a husk where once a loyal servant stood. The weapons of our enemy must be blunted upon our faith."

- Sister Sephi of the Order of the Lexicon

The non-militant Order Dialogous of the Adepta Sororitas are amongst the most learned of scholars, and their particular field of interest is that of language. Of all the three well-known Orders Non-militant, the Orders Dialogous is the one least often seen. Revered within the Adeptus Ministorum as some of the most learned people in the Ecclesiarchy, the Sisters Dialogous generally keep to themselves. Their tasks are many and varied, helping to translate the innumerable dialects and slangs of Low Gothic used throughout the Imperium. At the behest of the Inquisition and certain other parties in the Imperial hierarchy they also study xenos languages, and translate texts obtained from Xenos artefacts. Sisters Dialogous are often employed as Sage Acolytes in Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors' retinues. The average Sister Dialogous might be fluent in several hundred everyday human dialects, and dozens of secret cants, ciphers and even xenos tongues. The Sisters of the Orders Dialogous are amongst the very few judged sufficiently pure and incorruptible to withstand the deceits which the capricious Eldar often use in their dealings with Mankind. It is the duty of an accompanying Sister Dialogous to inform an Imperial official of the true meaning and implications of an alien's words

Sisters Diologous often work alongside both Sisters of the Orders Famulous and the agents of the Inquisition. Their skills at deciphering ancient records greatly aid the work of the Orders Famulous when delving into the very earliest days of the Imperium's noble bloodlines. When serving alongside Throne Agents, Sisters Dialogous are often required to attend interrogations, especially those of xenos captives, to serve as translators. Inquisitors heading into places that speak new or unusual dialects often seek them out for their skills in unlocking ciphers and translating languages. Though they specialise in languages and processing information, Sisters Dialogous are just as martially trained and fanatically devoted to the Imperial Creed as any Battle Sister.

Sisters Dialogous are talented at breaking ciphers and translating texts. They are also extremely diligent in caring for the records they are entrusted with and guarding the secrets of the Ecclesiarchy and the Sisterhood. They understand, better than anyone, that knowledge is useless if they don't act upon it. Any extended field assignment with either the Inquisition or the Ecclesiarchy grants them a unique opportunity to experience the Imperium first hand and to use their knowledge to actively hunt down heretics and pry their secrets from them. They also know that the information they seek and guard comes with the eternal threat of temptation. It has been drummed into them that they cannot fail in their duties, because when condemned knowledge falls into the hands of the unwary, catastrophe often follows.

Only when their linguistic or cipher-breaking skills are required, will Sisters Dialogous generally leave their datastacks. There have been occasions where a full Mission is sent to retrieve data, though this is rare, because the risk involved in letting sisters with access to sacred and secret information out into the open is very high and has to be authorized by the Convent. This has led the Dialogous to be much more cloistered and in some ways naive than the other Orders. When on active field duty with the Orders Militant or the Ordo Hereticus, the Dialogous are generally used in a support role as a communications or scientific experts. Field agents are likely to hear them only at the other end of a comm-link as they provide detailed information on the enemy.

Another aspect of the Order Dialogous is that they are some of the best information gatherers in the Sisterhood. Respected for their translation skills, they often work in data repositories and thus have access to new sources of data. Both the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition use this detailed information on potential threats to the Imperial Creed and the Imperium. While the Sisterhood has frowned on the Inquisition's usage of Dialogous services, their efforts have led to the discovery and destruction of numerous Chaos Cults. Within a Sector of space there is often a large concentration of Order Dialogous housed in a formidable preceptory known as a Sanctum Dialogous. These preceptories are usually guarded by a thousand Battle Sisters and sometimes a squadron of Imperial Navy ships in orbit. No one within the Dialogous will reveal the secrets held within its vaults (under the penalty of death) though it is generally believed by outsiders that these vaults hold all manner of heretical and xenos texts which have been fully translated into High Gothic.

Known Orders

 * Order of the Holy Word
 * Order of the Lexicon
 * Order of the Quill
 * Order of the Sacred Oath