Captain

A Captain stands at the summit of a Chapter's martial hierarchy below only the Chapter Master himself, commanding one of the ten companies that form the backbone of Codex-pattern organization. He earns that rank only after decades, sometimes centuries, of demonstrated skill across every theater of war the Chapter has fought, from void boarding actions to grinding siege campaigns, and by the time he dons a Captain's ornate battle-plate he has typically outlived every peer who began training beside him.

On the battlefield a Captain is expected to lead from the front rather than direct from the rear, wading into the thickest fighting to demonstrate the same fearlessness he demands of every Battle-Brother under his command. His wargear is invariably a symbol of accumulated honor as much as function, artificer armor etched with the record of past campaigns, a blade or hammer that may have been wielded by his predecessors for generations, and a company banner-bearer close at hand to rally the faithful when the tide of battle turns against them.