Even before their fall to Chaos during the Great Crusade, the Word Bearers Legion was always very devout, and it was not rare for War Captains of the Legion to be chosen for that exalted rank due to their piety and oratory prowess. The War Captains, in turn, saw the merit of keeping one or more Battle-Brothers with a more pragmatic approach and keen eye for tactics close at hand in order to prosecute battles as efficiently as possible.