"We're looking for a few good men to lead a suicide raid against the Orc army. Volunteers?"
- —Anonymous captain[2a]
Captain is a catch-all term for the heroic war leaders of the strife-wracked Old World. They command soldiers, militiamen, mercenaries and even roadwardens, on bloody battlefields and corpse-strewn streets in the endless military campaigns of the Empire and beyond.[1a]
Role[]
Most captains are tough, professional soldiers who have survived dozens of fierce battles to get where they are. It's no surprise then that they resent having to serve under inexperienced Nobles, an all too common occurrence. Captains tend to respect experience and ability over birth and social position. They know what counts on the battlefield.[1a]
Affiliations[]
Because of their elevated rank and military standing, Captains tend to associate with other officers and with city officials and Burghers. Captains tend to be paid well for their services, so persons of many different occupations try to make themselves useful to a Captain in the hope of earning some of his coin.[2a]
A well-connected mercenary leader will keep himself informed of the various commanders in the city; one never knows when one will need to look for a new employer, and with the frequent incursions of Chaos, Orcs and less mentionable things, armies are almost always hiring. A Captain looking to get promoted would do well to cultivate friendships with Artillerists, members of the various Knightly Orders, and even Priests and leaders of the many wholesome cults within the Old World.[2a]
A word in the right ear at the right time can get a Captain noticed by his superiors and promoted to a better (and possibly safer) position. Likewise, an ill word in the right ear at the wrong time can have a Captain assigned to the next expedition to the Chaos Wastes.[2a]
Captains are sometimes assigned lands and granted a writ of nobility after a particularly successful campaign or for performing remarkable and noteworthy deeds.[2a]
Notable Captains[]
- Otto Trondheim - A former Captain of the guard of the Elector of Stirland, who was raised to the rank of noble by the Elector after single-handedly defeating eight Black Orcs in personal combat, and leading his men in the rout of an invading army of the Greenskins. Sadly, when the entire population of the town he governed was killed and raised as Zombies by one of the Vampire Counts of nearby Sylvania, he was forced to abandon his castle and flee; he was never seen or heard from again.[2a]