Deathwatch Watch Master - Role: The watch masters of the Deathwatch are amongst the most experienced Space Marine xenos-fighters in the entire galaxy. Prior to their secondment to the Deathwatch, a watch commander is likely to have progressed to the rank of captain, and some have even served as Chapter Masters of their parent Chapter.The role of watch commander, like any other position in the Deathwatch is, in theory, only a temporary one. However, most of those Astartes who take up the position do so in the knowledge that they may never return to their parent Chapter again, such a vital and heavy burden is the rank. As such, the duty is a lonely one, for the watch commander sees countless battle-brothers serve under him before they return to their Chapter, and he knows that in all likelihood, he will never do so again. Watch masters often prefer to shoulder their duties alone, seeking the solace of pure thought in long periods of solitude. Yet their actions send ripples throughout history, almost always for the betterment of the Imperium.The process by which an individual is elevated to the rank of watch master varies from case to case, but most have first served in the capacity of watch captain. The promotion may come about by default, as the previous incumbent is killed in the line of duty and the most senior watch captain under his command simply takes over. Sometimes the process is driven by the watch captains electing one of their number to take overall command, while on other occasions an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos may make the appointment, which must be ratified by the watch captains of the watch fortress at issue and other watch commanders.In a handful of cases, a watch master has actually joined the ranks of the Inquisition, appointing his replacement before he leaves the watch fortress. Watch masters hold a position of great authority and responsibility, for they have access to records and archives otherwise only available to the senior members of the Inquisition.They have full knowledge of the terrible threats they guard against, knowledge that in most cases is only ever imparted to those whom the highest echelons of the Inquisition hold in great trust. They have the ear of the Inquisition and the Adeptus Astartes both, and on their authority entire sectors may burn.They, and they alone, hold the access codes to the sealed vaults at the heart of each watch fortress, and they hold the power of Exterminatus itself in their hands.The watch masters hold a position of such trust and authority they have access even to the archives of the Inquisition. Even merciless Inquisitor Lords treat these warriors with a degree of deference, for of all the Imperium's defenders, the Ordo Xenos know best how grave a burden the watch masters bear.On a strategic level, the watch masters work ceaselessly to outwit and outmanoeuvre the warlords of the alien races, to stymie invasions before they occur, to bring ascendant dynasties to their knees, and to wipe out parasitic species that would otherwise infest great swathes of Imperial space.It speaks to their quality that they can actually achieve such goals in practice. Knowledge is power, after all, and they use it well.When the watch masters take the field, their standard centuries of experience are focussed to a deadly point, a weapon specifically made for the task of slaying xenos bioforms. Wisdom is far from their only tool. They go to war girded in the finest Imperial war-tech, the artefacts they bear so precious they would make a magos weep oily tears of envy. Just as the hero of an ancient people was once given the keys to his city, the watch master is given the key to Humanity's domain -- the clavis, a wrist-worn repository of Machine Spirits (artificial intelligences) from the Dark Age of Technology that can open any door, and in theory, take control of any Imperial machine.Watch masters are clad in precious masterpieces of the artificer's art -- each a formidable and ornate suit of Artificer Armour. They carry the fabled Vigil Spear, symbolic of their role of sentinel, and the same weapon borne by the Emperor's personal warrior elite, the Custodian Guard of the Adeptus Custodes, though modified to fire the signature special-issue bolt shells of the Deathwatch. When a watch master joins the fight on the front line, which happens rarely, he cuts down his foes with a cold precision that leaves monsters and tyrants slain in his wake.