"Venit Hora" - Swords Of Davion

[Chiwie]

Annnd here's the other half of the Assault Squad. 

 

 

Together with the other 5 members of the squad that I finished earlier:

 

 

I truly enjoyed painting these guys. Next up is a toss up between the chapter master's bodyguard (PW/SS vanguard), a flyer or a razorback.

[Brother Cambrius]

These look fantastic and I am digging the extra lore and story to them all! The colour scheme is a lovely blend of muted and distinctive and the modelling with the bitz is a nice unique touch.

 

I noticed in an earlier post you need some practice before trying to freehand skulls, I have a nice and easy method you can try if you want me to DM it to you or share here? Been doing them for a decade now courtesy of the emblem on my avatar. :lol:

 

Cambrius

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Well done.

[Chiwie]

These look fantastic and I am digging the extra lore and story to them all! The colour scheme is a lovely blend of muted and distinctive and the modelling with the bitz is a nice unique touch.

 

I noticed in an earlier post you need some practice before trying to freehand skulls, I have a nice and easy method you can try if you want me to DM it to you or share here? Been doing them for a decade now courtesy of the emblem on my avatar.

 

Cambrius

 

Cheers! It would be 10/10 awesome if you could post that freehand tute.

 

Well done.

Thanks mate!

[Pearson73]

The assault squads are looking really good, the crossed sword freehand especially.

[Chiwie]

The assault squads are looking really good, the crossed sword freehand especially.

Thanks heaps mate! I'm really happy how it turned out.

 

Another forum I frequent is doing a post your characters Friday thing. Pretty good excuse to snap some better photos methinks!

 

 

 

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Owain looks good, but LT Vermillion...

 

Is the LT an apprentice to a Chaplain? Was the skull helm awarded for valor or meritorious service? Or does he wear it to look cool? (Warning: The latter WILL result in Vermillion being buried under accusations that he's a "poser," as well as unfavorable comparisons to "teenaged edgelords." A Chaplain has EARNED the right to look intimidating, as one with his experience has faced worse in his many deployments.)

[Chiwie]

Owain looks good, but LT Vermillion...

 

Is the LT an apprentice to a Chaplain? Was the skull helm awarded for valor or meritorious service? Or does he wear it to look cool? (Warning: The latter WILL result in Vermillion being buried under accusations that he's a "poser," as well as unfavorable comparisons to "teenaged edgelords." A Chaplain has EARNED the right to look intimidating, as one with his experience has faced worse in his many deployments.)

 

Skulls for the skull throne.....

[Chiwie]

Swords of Davion Kill Team Agravain ready to do some purge'in. 

 

 

 

 

Sargent Agravain leads the squad with his very power sword/plasma combo. He toppelled the strong point on Axland Prime without firing a shot in anger.

 

 

 

 

Sargent Bernlak. Reiver combat expert. Winner of the blood games between 4 chapters he wears their marks on his left knee. I did this as a bit of a tribute to some awesome 40k peeps. Knotley's DW keep, ADB rep'ed by the Emperor's Spears and my mate Chad's Space Wolves.

 

 

 

 

Gaheris. Squad Agravain's crack marksman armed with a accurized boltgun firing hand loaded Davion pattern rounds or in common parlance, a tac gunner with sniper specialization with a plasma gun.

 

 

[Pearson73]

Absolutely cracking stuff, I like the little bits of background, such as the chapter badges on the knee. The camo cloaks really tie the unit together too, as well as adding some realism.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Kill Team Agravain looks impressive.

[Chiwie]

Absolutely cracking stuff, I like the little bits of background, such as the chapter badges on the knee. The camo cloaks really tie the unit together too, as well as adding some realism.

 

 

Thanks mate! I reckon it's the little touches like that make an army yours.

 

 

Kill Team Agravain looks impressive.

 

Cheers mate! 

 

I've got a knight to finish off and then it's finally onto the chapter masters bodyguard.  

[Pearson73]

 

Absolutely cracking stuff, I like the little bits of background, such as the chapter badges on the knee. The camo cloaks really tie the unit together too, as well as adding some realism.

 

 

Thanks mate! I reckon it's the little touches like that make an army yours.

 

 

Couldn't agree more, especially when the touches have real meaning, as yours do, relating to others' works. It's this aspect that I really like in Insane Psychopath's Iron Warriors with their trophies acting as momentos, an idea that I've taken on too.

[Chiwie]

 

 

Absolutely cracking stuff, I like the little bits of background, such as the chapter badges on the knee. The camo cloaks really tie the unit together too, as well as adding some realism.

 

 

Thanks mate! I reckon it's the little touches like that make an army yours.

 

 

Couldn't agree more, especially when the touches have real meaning, as yours do, relating to others' works. It's this aspect that I really like in Insane Psychopath's Iron Warriors with their trophies acting as momentos, an idea that I've taken on too.

 

 

Just went and had a look at his stuff. You're dead on right of that being an awesome idea. Definitely going to 'borrow' that one.  

 

Nothing really new in this post. Mostly a lore dump and some re-photo-ing with my new lighting setup of Squad Teilo. 

 

 

Kill Team Agravain fluff:

 

It is the 42 millennium.

 

The galaxy is ripped in two by war and the warp alike.

 

The Powers of Chaos have trapped the Davion Sector with a ruinstorm that few can navigate. The servants of the dark gods stand on the inches away from Triumph.

 

On the orders of Chapter Master Tiberius Rex and Inquisitor Scradden, the Imperial Davionic Republics of Loholt, Secondous, Primus, Cenoff, Tokage and Thaban where evacuated into a vast starfleet, making their way through the storm and escaping the Dark Imperium. While they do this, Heretic Astartes, traitors and worse roam the sector, attempting to destroy what resistance remains. The refugees, civilian, guard, knights and astartes of the sector gather their strength and await the right time to retake their homes.

 

For a small group of elite Astartes, the war to retake the sector has already begun.

 

Swords of Davion,1st Company, Demi Company Black. The Chapter Master’s Offhand Blade.

 

This handful of Astartes represents the very tip of the spear and for the population that did not escape on the fleet, the first line of defense. Equipped with the finest of Cenoff Forgeworld technology and trained in the latest techniques of covert warfare, they strike swiftly, silently and invisibly….

 

As per other posts I've made on this thread, the Swords of Davion Astartes are (somewhat wrongly) renowned for being reckless close combat fighters that favour jump packs and epic sword fights over things like ‘tactics’ and ‘other imperial force’s casualty rates’.

 

Swords of Davion kill teams are made of the more tactical sound and generally sensible members of the chapter. I.E the ones that don’t in the middle of battle say “By the Emperor that gentleman has an impressive Hat/Sword (or combination of the two), I think I should challenge them to a fair duel. It will be glorious and it totally won’t ruin our battle plan at all.”

 

1st Company’s off the books demi company therefore offers an alternative way for the non glory hound close combat experts to be noticed and picked out to be picked out for leadership or inducted to the 1st company proper. They operate as sabuators, assassins, scouts, insurgent leaders, retrieval specialists, respond to Inquisitorial calls for ‘help’ and terror squads.

 

The exception for preference for level headed marines making up the KT’s are the Reivers.

 

As previously mentioned, the chapter has ongoing problem with combat lust/glory duels. In recent times, this is normally harnessed and then beat out of recruits during their time in the assault squads, hopefully instilling the marines with a sense of brotherhood over self. With the incoming primus contingent this posed a problem as they don’t really have  a unit that fits the standard assault squad role.

 

So canny company leaders and sargents watch the primus contingent, picking off the overly tacticool glory/sword obsessed types to operate as terror squads/muscle for the kill teams, once again with the view of the experience drilling the need for tactics/welfare of the team over personal glory into them. I tried to show this with the Reiver’s tactical weeb knives and general ‘trying to hard’ poses.

 

Retake of 2nd Company's 3rd Squad Teilo:

 

 

Davion Primus is the seat of power of the sector and was the first world to fall to Chaos when the eye of terror opened. This event forms a core part of Squad Teilo’s history and how I painted/modeled this group of reckless (but not jumpy) lads.

 

Before this incredibly nasty event went down, the majority Swords of Davion where pursuing a surprisingly crafty Khornate cult in a nearby sector. This ended up being a deliberate wild goose chase to pull them further and further away from Davion.

 

Squad Teilo was part of this action. Once the Astartes realised they had bumbled into a trap (admittedly with mostly good intentions) they rushed back to their homeworld sector.

 

 

They were too late. While the Swords of Davion fortress monastery on Secondousheld and would later become the core of the resistance, the same could not be said for Loholt, Thaban and most importantly Primus.

 

 

Squad Teilo was among the first squads to drop pod assault onto the surface of Davion Primus. The mural on Telio’s kneepad depicts this assault, with the drop pods firing retros as the sky turned purple/red and untold horrors where unleashed on the population.

 

The Swords of Davion’s objective on Primus was simple. Relieve Davionic Imperial Guard units and small Astartes element that was barely holding the forces of chaos at bay, then evacuate as many military assets and members of the civilian population as possible.

 

Towards the end of the action, Astartes sold their lives dearly to buy more time. Every second they held allowed more material, men, women and children to evacuate from Primus and the sector at large. Owain, exiled and attempting to repent, readied himself to sell his life dearly for the sake of his people began marching, black sword aloft challenging the forces of chaos to face him.

 

It was Teilo, his squad ushering panicking civilians into the last thunderhawk, that realised what his old friend was about to do. With a clipped order his squad rushed forward, bolters blazing towards Owain’s position. Joined Owain at his position, fighting against an unstoppable horde pouring out of the warp rift, it was only when Owain relented to go with them that they fell back and escaped on the last shuttle to the fleet.

 

It was that moment they earnt their title. Squad Teilo. The last to leave.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Well done.

[Chiwie]

Well done.

 

Thanks mate! 

 

Well it looks like I've been slightly neglecting this army to get some other projects done. Better get a fix in for that.

 

 

I was going to leave this guy till last in my 2000pts army.

 

Then discord mate of mine asked for characters for a campaign he is writing up. Totally jealous that I wouldn’t be able to take part due to being literally eleven-ty billion kilometers away I decided to paint up this guy for kicks.

   

The Emperor’s Champion is my fave model of all time. That’s right. Screw your primarchs and forgeworld goodies. This is peak citadel miniature design team performance.

 

 

The model is a great mix of a marine posed effectively with a few minor sculpted details that bring the model to life. It doesn’t have massive amounts of bling, ZERO GOLD TRIM and is therefore joy to paint.

 

It also has a huge sword. Which is a good thing.

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t want to risk finecast as it’s a risky proposition for long car trips in Australia. Luckily I still had the old version of Tiberius in the old Swords of Davion scheme based on the baller metal model. With the help of simple green, I saved the ‘old’ version of Tiberius and tried to bring him into the 2019 8th ed world.

 

 

 

 

Paint job wise I’m way happier with this dude than the warp talons I finished up before xmas and the 2nd half of my kill team who are yet to be tidied and photographed.

 

I do think I could have improved on the white areas of the model and general highlighting, but other than that the model looks roughly how I pictured it in my head.

 

 

 

There was a minor issue with Tiberius’s rescue from the old paint job, the writing on the blade was messed up and given my history of painting in destroyed detail I decided to fill it in and keep the sword as plain as possible. On the upside this will fit nicely into the model’s background!

 

My old version of the model had a MKVII jump pack which while looking great didn’t fit with the 80ish % MKIV armour mix the current force has and I found that the MKIV pack wasn’t beefy enough to ‘sell’ the weight of a chapter master in all hs glory.

 

In a fit of bad financial choices, I used a Raven Guard HH Dark Furies jump pack for added ‘heft’ and to tie him into general vibe that the current army has. To further this pain I’ve decided to use that pack on his 10 man bodyguard. Please send help.

 

 

The storm shield is a DA termie one from their upgrade kit. If you have any of these in good nick drop me a line on twittar so I can beg you to send me more. Ditto for BT crusader helms btw.

 

I used the same base bitz as the SoD Kill Team. Other than that he is pretty much the Emp’s Champ model built as is. Also there is a random plastic skull there because, well, skulls!

 

 

Speaking of that SoD Kill Team, I wanted Tiberius to be the model that brings the entire army together.

 

To this I decided to bring all the little elements of the current stuff I’ve done into one model. Here we have Sergeant Agravain‘s base and the little ‘Davion Resist’ freehand. The sword is there too for the record but the jump pack covered it up in a slight planning mistake!

 

 

Left Knee pads on Swords of Davion Astartes are used for personal honours. Naturally a Chapter Master has a lot of them.

Top left on the pad we have the heraldry of the Knights of Davion, the Imperial Davionic Republic’s Imperial Knight house, whose respect Tiberius earnt during the Ugmarius campaign as an Assault Sergeant.

Right is cross swords of his victory at the clash of blade during the Red Dawn, a feast of Davionic nobility, where he represented Master of Sanctity. This echos a similar honour on my Vanguard Sergeant, Aurelius.

The bottom is a mural of Sword drop pods liberating Thaban from the Tau expansion that almost destroyed the chapter. This was the moment that the once exiled Captain became Chapter Master and calls back to Teilo’s similar knee.

 

 

The right knee of Swords of Davion 1st company members is squad heraldry, for HQ unit’s it becomes personal. Lieutenant Ulther Vermillion ‘The Red Fox’ is a good example of this.

 

Rex is no exception form this. Early into his Captaincy, Tiberius unwisely railed against Chapter politics. This fact and a mistake that cost the company dearly found the 8th Company Captain faced with a choice of death or exile. Opting for the later, he took up the Black Sword of Davion and began his impossible quest.

 

During his exile he was tasked with 12 mighty labours, much like the current chapter exile Owain. Tiberius’s path took him to the far reaches of the imperium and back, it wasn’t until he found himself on a backwater world in the Davionic Republics that he found his salvation. A small, ruined imperial shrine with simple white sword embedded in the ground.

 

There is more to that tale but it will have to wait until I finish writing it!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The jump pack-equipped Emperor's Champion is well done. Is he in camouflage? That breaks with tradition, but reduces his vulnerability to sniper attacks.

[Chiwie]

I've been neglecting this thread a little. If anyone is still following along, I did a massive post about the Swords of Davion on Goonhammer. If you would like too, check it out here, also have a bonus shot of the Swords doing their thing:

 

Army Showcase: Coda’s Swords of Davion

 

 

Also thank you B&C posters in this thread for the encouragement and words of wisdom. This community is great. 

 

 

Army Showcase: Coda

 

 

 

’s Swords of Davion