Warhammer 40K: Grand Masters of the Grey Knights

Today we look at the present and past Masters who rule over the Grey Knights, dread Daemon Hunters of Titan.

Grey Knights Grand Master

Grand Master is one of the highest ranks to which a Grey Knight can rise, below only the Supreme Grand Master. They are armed and armoured in the best the Imperium has to offer and benefit from hundreds of years of experience in fighting the daemonic. They are devastating in close combat, especially when backed up by a retinue of the feared Grey Knights Terminators. While all Grey Knights are psykers, the Grand Master’s skills are honed to such a fine point that he can wield his psychically attuned Force Weapon with exceptionally terrific power. The Grand Master is certainly one of the greatest warriors in the entirety of the Imperium.

The Grey Knights only have a total of eight Grand Masters at any one time. This number is derived from the eight founding Space Marines which Malcador the Sigilite brought to Titan.

Each Grand Master has final command of a Brotherhood, although operational command is often left to the Brother-Captain. The Grand Master will only take full command of his Brotherhood if there is a battle which is considered too perilous for even the hardened skills of a Brother-Captain to handle.

Voldus, Grand Master of the 3rd Brotherhood

Voldus is the newly promoted Grand Master of the Grey Knights Chapter‘s Third Brotherhood, who attained his rank after its previous commander Valdar Aurikon was killed by the Daemon Primarch Magnus. When the Thirteenth Black Crusade began, Voldus came to the defense of the Realm of Ultramar, when it was invaded by Abaddon the Despoiler‘s Chaos hordes, and served as a trusted adviser to the resurrected Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman.

In battle, Voldus wields the mighty Nemesis Daemon Hammer Malleus Argyrum.

Kaldor Draigo, Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights

Kaldor Draigo is the 48th and current Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights. He wields the legendary Titansword.

As a simple Battle-Brother, Draigo banished the Daemon Prince M’kar the Reborn on Acralem.

In 901.M41, during the Battle of Kornovin, Draigo would become Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights after the Daemon Prince Mortarion killed his predecessor, Geronitan. The act made Draigo fly into a rage, who assaulted the Daemon Primarch and was only able to defeat him by uttering the true name the Emperor had originally intended for him. The Primarch’s body was shattered by this and Draigo carved his predecessor’s name into his heart – an insult Mortarion has never forgotten, as his spirit is now recuperating in the Immaterium), where he prepares to kill Draigo once and for all.

Mortarion, Daemon Prince

However, after a second confrontation with M’kar on Acralem, Draigo has been cursed to a life trapped within the Warp, doomed to walk within the Realm of Chaos itself. To remain pure while constantly assailed by Chaos shows fortitude and personal strength that is beyond measure. He has undertaken many great exploits within the Warp: slaying the great Bloodthirster Kar’Voth, setting fire to the jungles of Nurgle‘s domain, defeating the six chosen Daemonettes of Slaanesh, the Six Sisters, and destroying the fortress of the Lord of Change M’Kachan. He also appeared to battle alongside the Dark Angels in the Pandorax Campaign.

But while Draigo lives, he will prevail and one day, he will return. In 999.M41, Draigo returned alone to Acralem to free it from M’kar, hoping to end the Chapter’s ancient feud with the Daemon.

Other Notable Grand Masters

Current

• Vardan Kai – 1st Brotherhood
• Vorth Mordrak – 2nd Brotherhood
• Voldus – 3rd Brotherhood (pictured above)
• Drystann Cromm – 4th Brotherhood
• Rothwyr Morvans – 5th Brotherhood
• Anval Laraon – 6th Brotherhood
• Covan Leorac – 7th Brotherhood
• Aidan Perdron – 8th Brotherhood

Historic

• Khyron
• Mandulis – Died fighting Ghargatuloth on Khorion IX
• Joros – Grand Master of the 8th Brotherhood. Personally slain by Logan Grimnar during the aftermath of the First War for Armageddon
• Valdar Aurikon – 3rd Brotherhood
• Tencendur – Fought in the 13th Black Crusade
• Orias – Grey Knights Dreadnought
• Ganelon – Died fighting Ghargatuloth on Khorion IX
• Malquiant – Died fighting Ghargatuloth on Khorion IX
• Qanox – Present during the Exterminatus of Cyrene. Found Gabriel Angelos, innocent of the heresy tainting the planet.

Learn More of the Grey Knights

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Author: Larry Vela

Dad, Gamer, Publisher, Pilot, Texan. All games all the time since junior-high. I started BoLS Interactive in 2006. I’m a lifelong tabletop & RPG gaming enthusiast, and internet publisher working to entertain and inform my readers every day. I've been playing RPGs and Tabletop Games since the 1970s. I'm been playing and covering Warhammer and Warhammer 40K for over 35 years.