Editing Nobledark Imperium Notable People (section)

== Trajann Valoris, Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes ==

Trajann Valoris is the current Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes, the third such holder of the office after [[Nobledark Imperium Primarchs#Arik Taranis|Arik Taranis]] and the renowned Constantin Valdor. Trajann came to prominence at an unusual time: around the time of the Centuries of Silence and the sudden disappearance of [[Nobledark Imperium Primarchs#Vulkan|Vulkan]] and the realization that Mark III S Astartes were, in fact, not biologically immortal. There had already been suspicion within the Imperial court that Vulkan’s disappearance was due to his worsening health, a suspicion that seemed to be proven correct when several Custodians began experiencing health problems. Nobody had noticed this before as no Mark III S Astartes had ever died of old age before. The only other institution to make extensive use of the Mark III S geneseed, the Grey Knights, tended to live much shorter, more violent lives and, as famously said by their first Grand Master Janus “never died in their beds”. By contrast, the rate of replacement within the Adeptus Custodes was so low that recruitment of more than a few individuals per century into the Ten Thousand was considered noteworthy, and it was often the youngest, most inexperienced individuals that died. Unfortunately, this meant that there were now a significant portion of the Adeptus Custodes that were now at risk of dying from old age.

The Custodes had planned to be phased out as an Imperial institution after the crowning of Emperor Vandire, but the ensuing Age of Apostasy and the eventual elevation of the Steward to the Golden Throne meant that this decision had to be reversed posthaste. Constantin Valdor was particularly desperate to find a successor. He had predicted something like the Age of Apostasy would happen when he accompanied the Steward and Isha to Littoropoli, but he hadn’t expected that he would be racing the time thief when he came back to the job. Among the pool of possible candidates, his attention was soon drawn to Trajann Valoris. Trajann was one of the few Custodians recruited back when the Adeptus Custodes were experiencing “normal” recruitment, having been born two years after the fall of Vandire and the coronation of the Steward. Not only was he relatively senior compared to most of the current batch of new recruits, he showed great promise, having served with honor in the Allarus Custodians, the group of Custodians tasked with proactively destroying threats to the Imperial Couple and carrying out the orders of the Steward (now Emperor) in person. Valdor began grooming Trajann for the position of captain-general, and when Valdor died some two centuries later he did so confident that his position was in good hands.

Those who know Trajann describe him as an amiable man, especially compared to the arrogant Taranis or the taciturn Valdor. People who know him personally describe him as personable, agreeable, even somewhat dorky, whereas on the battlefield he has been known to be methodical and forward thinking. Trajann used to be quite hot-blooded during his time with the Allarus, but three thousand years of service have tempered him somewhat, though he still prefers a much more proactive approach than Valdor, who preferred to plan for contingencies. He is also much more willing to leverage the reputation of the Custodes to accomplish things, and has even been known to personally sit in on meetings of the High Lords when the Travelling Court stops at Earth to learn of current issues, something neither of his predecessors have done.

Perhaps Trajan’s greatest flaw is his own insecurity in his abilities. Ironically, despite being so much like Oscar in his virtues, he also shares with his charge one of his greatest flaws. The Emperor is close to 11,000 years old; Galadrea, his counterpart among the Handmaidens, is a survivor of the Fall; and the Empress is estimated to have come into existence at roughly the same time as the extinction of dinosaurs on Old Earth. As a result, Trajann often feels like he is the baby of the bunch and cannot measure up to the three of them. A sentiment not helped by the feeling he gets that Galadrea hates him. To her credit, Galadrea doesn’t actually hate him. She was close friends with Constantine Valdor for nearly six thousand years, and every time she sees Trajan she is reminded of the friend she has lost. And in her mind he is nowhere near as bad as Arik Taranis, whom Galadrea met once. [[That_Guy|And once was enough.]] That said, she does feel like Trajann needs to learn to respect his elders. However, one should not take this to mean Trajann is immature. At more than three thousand years old Trajann is still much older and more experienced than most inhabitants of the Imperium, something most would be wise to take note. When he puts his self-doubt aside and does his duty, Trajann has been able to take down numerous threats to the Imperial Couple’s safety both indirectly and by his own skill, particularly any that would be fool enough to dismiss him.