Habits, Battleplate, Arms and Honors
Daughters of Verity do not wear a uniform in the military sense, although its members dress more "uniformly" than most organizations in the Imperium. A military "uniform" is just that - fundamentally identical for all with only minor variations to denote rank or assignment. This simplifies logistics as well as instilling an espirit de corps (not to mention making valuable leaders and specialists harder to pick out on the battlefield in the fog of war). In many of the Imperium's organizations, unique pressures reduce the uniformity of uniforms, but the Daughters of Verity adhere to the principle more closely than most (which also reflects the uniform interchangeability of individual warriors in their combat doctrine of the corpora).
The Daughters of Verity see themselves, correctly, as primarily a religious order rather than a military force, but they are still warriors of the Imperium and part of its war machine. Accordingly, there are two - not competing, but complementary - aspects to their "uniform"; habits and battleplate. How these change as the Sister progresses through formation reflects their theology and identity.
Habits
All Daughters of Verity wear a habit of the same design, similar to that worn by other Orders. It is worn at all times (when worn over battleplate, the habit is left unbuttoned and forms loose sleeves and a scapular-like skirt. When worn on its own, the habit is buttoned to form an all-enclosing robe). Unlike the simple smocks worn by postulants, the habit is made of natural fiber cloth. A Sister receives her habit (she will wear the same habit for life, repairing it if it becomes damaged) when she becomes a novice. This habit is made of unbleached, undyed cloth - it is dyed a dark blue (using machinist's blue in honor of the the 'Dust Zone's workers from whose daughters the Sisters draw) when she makes her profession of faith. There are no other changes made to the habit in the normal course of formation - the habit denotes she is a Sister, the dark blue color shows she has made solemn vows. There is no "higher rank" for a Sister to ascend to; there are positions of greater responsibility such as Princeps Autem Corpus, Palatine or even Canoness but the Sisters do not see these as fundamentally changing who the holder is. She is a professed Daughter of Verity with all that entails. A Sister can lose her blue habit if she breaks her vows and becomes a repentia. Her habit is stripped from her and ceremonially burned. She is instead given a cameleoline habit both to practically hide her from her enemies and symbolically hide her from her Sisters until she has expiated her sin. If she does return, she becomes a novice once again, receiving a new undyed habit - she will have to prove herself worthy of profession to once again wear dark blue. The habit remains with the Sister not only for life, but beyond - she will be buried in her habit in the crypt of The Crystal Cathedral, inside a coffin made of the fiberboard slats that made up her bedframe in the barracks-dormitory with her blanket as a winding sheet. The obvious symbolism is "once a Daughter, always a Daughter".Battleplate
The Order utilizes the same pattern of powered battleplate as the Orders Militant of the Adepta Sororitas, technologically developed by the Adeptus Mechanicus but aesthetically designed (according to legend) by Goge Vandire himself for his Brides of the Emperor. The mad Ecclessiarch specified the armor should emphasize the secondary-sexual characteristics of the female - a feature which has been preserved in the modern Imperium for reasons greater than mere tradition. The battleplate utilizes many of the same technologies as Astartes armor, but possesses a less-sophisticated neural linkage owning to the absence of the Black Carapace. Ceramite and plasteel protect the wearer, while fiber-bundle muscles provide motive power. The armor is lighter than many other designs and while not augmenting the wearer's strength as much as the Astartes' pattern or possessing certain life-support systems, the armor is full-enclosed against biological or chemical attack, is capable of operating in a vacuum, provides the same level of protection as Marine battleplate, and makes it much easier for the wearer to handle weighty materiel such as heavy weapons. Like many Orders of Adepta Sororitas, the Daughters of Verity wear black battleplate decorated with white icons of the Sisterhood, the Imperium and the Adeptus Ministorum. The exception are the Seraphim who wear white armor with blue iconography. Black is a traditional color used by many organizations throughout the Imperium and is very common among Adepta Sororitas (it is likely little conscious thought went into the selection). White was deliberately chosen no only to set the Seraphim apart, but also because of its associations with purity, innocence, a "blank page" and a new start - all relevant imagery for Verity's Seraphim who turn their backs their previous lives when appointed "a feather in the wing of Verity". A Sister receives her battleplate from the armory when she becomes a novice; this will be hers for the rest of her life, being returned to the armory on her death. This suit has been worn by dozens of Sisters before her - but each time a suit is returned to the armory it is stripped of iconography and honors and so each novice receives a plain, unadorned suit of armor to wear during her novitiate. She has not yet earned the right to wear the fleur-de-lys of the Sororitas or the icon of the Ecclesiarchy. Ceramite icons are affixed to her armor when she becomes a professed Sister. Her armor will remain with her for the rest of her life, being repainted white if she is selected as a Seraphim and painted in camouflage if through her transgressions she becomes a Repentia. When she dies, the battleplate is returned to the armory, repaired and refurbished, stripped of icons and symbols, scoured down to bare ceramite and repainted black. It is then given to the next novice to make her simple vows. By these traditions, the Daughters of Verity express their theological understanding that service to the Emperor endures forever, but the military expression of that service ends at death (although it is believed a dutiful Daughter goes to fight alongside the Emperor against His enemies after death, this combat is not physical but rather spiritual and - if fought with weapons at all - the arms and armor will be supplied by Him in the afterlife).
Arms & Equipment
Like all Sisters of Battle, Daughters of Verity fight with bolter, flamer and melta weaponry - the so-called "holy trinity" of weapons. Postulants' training and fighting with las- or autoguns serves them in good stead, with live-fire training with bolters beginning in the weeks before novices take their simple vows at Sanguinala. By the time she receives her habit, a Sister has two years of training and battlefield experience, and dozens of hours of range and simulation time with a bolter. Each Sister is issued personal arms of a bolter and bolt pistol when she takes her simple vows. Like her battleplate these will remain hers for life, being repaired if they become damaged and being returned to the armory on her death. Following the corpora combat doctrine (where each Sister can be called upon to fight in any position, with any weapon, or as any tactical role), Sisters train extensively with all weapons - standard, special, heavy and melee - in order to be prepared for whatever mission the Canoness or Palatines might assign her. In many cases, Sisters will draw a special or heavy weapon from the armory when assigned to a particular corpora - but some do retain weapons other than a bolter and bolt pistol as their personal arm, depending on the decision of commanding officers. One piece of equipment which all Sisters train with but only some use are communications vambraces. While all suits of Sororitas battleplate have integral vox systems, the Principes Autem Corpus have more sophisticated communication systems housed in vambraces which fit over the battleplate's forearm armor. Aesthetically-styled with the fleur-de-lys of the Sororitas, these function as a badge of responsibility (if not rank) in addition to providing intelligence and logistical support. Like all military equipment and arms, vambraces may be withdrawn, given or transferred at any time by commanding officers without implying any promotion, demotion, approval or censure. The theological and combat doctrine of the corpora views the military activities of the Daughters as almost-incidental, and any military role as something any Sister can and should be able to do. In practice, of course, individual Sisters have particular skills or deficiencies which an effective commander considers when making assignments, but frequent modification and reformation of individual corpora is standard practice in order to avoid complacency, particular friendships, unhealthy rivalries and to promote cohesion at the Order level, rather than merely within a squad.Honors
The Daughters of Verity do not award military decorations - they see themselves, first and foremost, as a religious order rather than a military force, and consider no act of valor or sacrifice "over and above the call of duty". However, the wider Imperium does award decorations and the Order allows members to accept them. The majority of these decorations are campaign medals - awarded by the Adeptus Munitorum to all warriors who fought in a particular campaign regardless of heroism, contribution or performance. Over decades of service, a Sister of Battle can accumulate dozens or even hundreds of these "participation trophies" as they are derisively called by the Order. Commonly taking the form of a simple circular stud which can be affixed to armor or the butt of a rifle, most Daughters of Verity attach them to the frame of their rack, forming a chronological record of service. At death, the bedframe (sturdily made of fiberboard slats) is broken up and assembled into a narrow coffin with the blanket forming a winding sheet. The studs are hammered into the lid before the coffin is interred in the crypt beneath the The Crystal Cathedral. Other decorations are infrequently received and treated differently. Cross-service awards are not common - many divisions of the Imperial war-machine have regulations against issuing them to non-members, and the majority of universal decorations awarded by the Adeptus Munitorum or the High Lords are very rarely awarded. However, in the grim darkness of the Imperium of Man war is a way of life and so opportunities to be so recognized abound. A Daughter of Verity who receives a military decoration awarded for gallantry, courage, heroism or other recognition over and above simply being there is given the honorary title Celestian and is required to wear the award on her battleplate. She may not wear the award on her habit - this is her vestment as a member of a religious community, while her armor is her uniform as an Imperial warrior. A Sister so recognized by another branch of the Imperium's armed forces - or the government of the Imperium itself - is required to have her personal weapon (usually her bolter) plated with precious Terran gold. Even though the layer of gilt is microns thin the value of such a holy metal is astronomical; the Daughters of Verity maintain a precious cache of ancient Terran jewelry and coins which they add to whenever possible. When a decorated Daughter dies, the gold is removed from her weapon and returns to the vault treasury to await the next Sister to receive an award. The medal or pin itself is removed from her armor before it is returned the armory and the foreign decoration itself is affixed to the plinth of the statue of Sanguinius Triumphant in the Crystal Cathedral; the Order of Our Crystal Lady venerates the Primarch-Saint as the exemplar of military service. Gradually, over the years and decades, a mosaic of decorations is built up, remembering the Order's military service.Palatines & the Canoness
The Palatines and Canoness of the Order are always professed Sisters, and so wear black battleplate with white icons (none are Seraphim, as the feathers in the wings of Verity may not hold leadership positions) and a dark blue habit. They utilize the same communications vambraces as the Principes Autem Corpus, and many or most are decorated officers and so carry gilt-plated arms. In addition, a Palatine or the Canoness is required to wear a cloak - of whatever design she chooses, although most are lined or trimmed in fur - over her habit. Often, the design reflects the Palatine's personality, history or name. Palatine Alicia, for example, wears a cloak of black-dappled carnodon fur, similar to that worn by the Astartes Primarch Sanguinius, because of her close association with the Blood Angels. Palatine Melanija's cloak is trimmed in arctic fur, to reflect her family's origins in the northern polar region of Ophelia VII. The symbolism of the cloak or mantle is obvious; she wears the same battleplate and habit as her Sisters, but that simplicity is partially-hidden under the duty of leadership. She is at the same time part of and yet separate from her fellow Sisters. Most often, Palatines and the Canoness choose a heavy cloak - signifying the oppressive weight of command.
Novice Habit, Battleplate and Arms
Professed Habit, Battleplate & Arms
Celestian Habit, Battleplate & Arms
Seraphim Habit & Battleplate
Princeps Autem Corpus Battleplate, Habit & Arms
Princeps Autem Corpus (with Celestian honor) Habit, Battleplate & Arms
