Master (Space Marine)
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This article is about the the Space Marine title. For other uses of Master, see Master (disambiguation). |
In addition to his duties as the leader of a Space Marine Company, each Space Marine Captain also bears one or more honorific titles which may also carry additional responsibilities extending to the entire chapter. Similar titles are also bestowed on other officers of specialized units, such as vehicle commanders or leading Chaplains.
Some of these titles are commonly used across all Space Marine Chapters, while others are unique products of a single Chapter's history and creed[1a].
Common Titles
These titles are used by many Chapters, notably the Ultramarines[1b]. It should be noted, however, that some Chapters utilise some of these titles but not others (e.g., the Blood Angels have the positions of Master of the Watch, Master of the Marches, and Master of the Recruits, but all other Company titles are unique[5]) and that those who do use these titles do not always follow this exact layout (e.g., the Salamanders' Master of the Recruits is the Captain of the 7th Company, rather than the 10th, and the Blood Angels' Master of the Marches is the Captain of the 7th Company, not the 5th[5]).
| Unit Affiliation | Title |
| HQ | Chapter Master |
| Chaplaincy | Master of Sanctity |
| Armoury | Master of the Forge |
| Apothecarion | Master of the Apothecarion |
| Librarium | Chief Librarian |
| 1st Company | Regent/Master of the Keep |
| 2nd Company | Master of the Watch |
| 3rd Company | Master of the Arsenal |
| 4th Company | Master of the Fleet |
| 5th Company | Master of the Marches |
| 6th Company | Master of the Rites |
| 7th Company | Chief Victualler |
| 8th Company | Lord Executioner |
| 9th Company | Master of Relics |
| 10th Company | Master of the Recruits/Master of Reconnaissance |
| Other | Master of the Signal |
| Other | Master of the Flag[8] |
Other Titles
The following are titles unique to their respective Chapters:
- Aurora Talons: Master Bombardier, of which there are at least five[1a].
- Blood Angels: [5]
- Shield of Baal (1st Company);
- Master of Sacrifice (3rd Company);
- Lord Adjudicator (4th Company)
- Keeper of the Arsenal (5th Company, possibly a variant of Master of the Arsenal);
- Caller of the Fires (6th Company);
- Lord of Skyfall (8th Company);
- Master of Sieges (9th Company)
- Warden of the Gates (Overseeing the Chapter Serfs and Servitors)
- Exalted Herald of Sanguinius — Commander of the Sanguinary Guard
- Dark Angels[Needs Citation]:
- Supreme Grand Master — Chapter Master;
- Grand Master of the Librarians;
- Grand Master of the Deathwing;
- Grand Master of the Ravenwing;
- Grand Master of Chaplains;
- Grand Master of the Fleet;
- Grand Master of the Arsenal;
- Grand Master of Recruits;
- Grand Master of the Watch;
- Flesh Tearers
- Watcher of the Lost: A title usually held by the High Chaplain, who must monitor those of the chapter who have succumbed to the Black Rage[7];
- Salamanders:
- Forgefather: The Forgefather is a Veteran Salamander who travels the universe seeking out the lost Artefacts of Vulkan and information on the fate of the Primarch of the Salamanders. Upon becoming Forgefather the Salamander also takes on the name of Vulkan. While this post takes him away from the Chapter, he is nevertheless held as one of the lords of the Chapter and granted a seat on the Pantheon Council. The current Forgefather is Vulkan He'stan.[1e]
- Master of Arms: The premier close quarters combat instructor of the Salamanders. Currently held by Master Prebian[3].
- Lord of Burning Skies: The Master of the Fleet of the Salamanders also holds this honorific title. Currently held by Captain Dac'tyr.[3]
- Ultramarines:
- Regent of Ultramar: A title typically held by the First Company (Veterans) Captain. The current incumbent is First Captain Severus Agemman[1b]
- Spear of Macragge: Given to the Chapter's preeminent tank commander, who enjoys a unique position in that, regardless of rank, he is answerable only to the Chapter Master and not to any Company Captain; the current incumbent is Sergeant Antaro Chronus[1d];
- High Suzerain of Ultramar: an honorific title currently held by Second Company Captain Cato Sicarius;
- Knight Champion of Macragge: an honorific title currently held by Second Company Captain Cato Sicarius;
- Master of the Household: an honorific title currently held by Second Company Captain Cato Sicarius[6];
- White Scars:
- Master of the Hunt: the Master of the Hunt is tasked to hunt down any enemy who has clashed with the chapter in the past and, through luck or skill, managed to survive the encounter; the Master of the Hunt is dispatched to hunt down a specific enemy every twenty-five years[1c]. The title is traditionally bestowed on the Captain of the 4th Company[1a], although the current incumbent, Captain Kor'sarro Khan, commands the 3rd[1c].
Traitor Legions
Whether similar titles are used by the Traitor Legions is uncertain, although at least one, the Iron Warriors, uses the title of "Captain of Arms." One such Captain of Arms was Cadaras Grendel, who traveled in the retinue of Warsmith Berossus[4].
Images
Master of the Watch 2nd Company
Master of the Arsenal 3rd Company
Master of the Fleet 4th Company
Master of the Marches 5th Company
Master of Rites 6th Company
Lord Executioner 8th Company
Master of Relics 9th Company
Master of the Recruits 10th Company
N.B. Some of these characters are intended to be "Masters of the Chapter" (e.g. Master of the Watch, Master of the Arsenal, Master of the Fleet, and Master of Recruits, as noted), but are referred to on the Games Workshop website as "Chapter Masters," which may cause confusion with the title of Chapter Master. Also, these same miniatures appear in Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), described only as "Captains", in accordance with their intended roles as "Masters of the Chapter" rather than "Chapter Masters".
Sources
- 1: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition):
- 2: Games Workshop (last accessed November 4, 2011)
- 3: Nocturne (Novel) by Nick Kyme, [Needs Citation], pg. 44
- 4: Dead Sky, Black Sun (Novel) — The Ultramarines Omnibus (Omnibus), by Graham McNeill, Chapter 18, pg. 718
- 5: Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition), pg. 9
- 6: Consequences (Short Story) by Graham McNeill
- 7: Index Astartes I, "Blood Frenzy: The Flesh Tearers Space Marine Chapter," by Matthew Sprange and Gav Thorpe, pg. 50
- 8: Deathwatch (Novel) Act 1, Chapter 5
