What is the basic lore for Warhammer 40k?
The Great Rift is widening, and it has proven hard to tell friend from foe. Ten thousand years of unending war have shattered the galaxy in two-and when the Rifts grow, worlds die. A new terror seeps into the nothingness between planets and navigators can sense that creatures are intruding on our realm with malefic intent-and some will not go back alone.
Every Primarch would have his own retinue of auxiliary Space Marines from their homeworlds or other conquered worlds; these units served as elite squads for special missions outside a Legion’s primary area of combat specialization. The First Captain was first amongst equals among all officers, which means he would also be chief officer aboard any ship in which the Primarch himself was present. Each Legion had its own elite 1 st Company, referred to as “The Headsmen,” to serve under the First Captain.
Unlike other Legions, Imperial Fists did not have a dedicated Scout Company because Rogal Dorn believed that rigid adherence to formalized ranks went against the Legion’s nature and would rob its warriors of their best assets: initiative and improvisation. The First Captain was in charge of training new recruits, advising the Chapter Master on matters where the First Company might be involved, and commanding his own company if it were deployed away from other elements of the Imperial Fists.
