So then here we are at the start of 2019. There's a chill in the air, I've got plenty of chocolate to eat and it's time to start a new project!
I've always been envious of those hobbyist's who could just collect and paint a whole army in a matter of months. The New Year exemplified this feeling as I'd see swathes of gamers pop into the local Games Workshop ready to buy all their lovely miniatures for the brand new army they're starting, meanwhile I'd have to once again tell myself - "No James, you've got mountains of models that need painting, no new models for you...."
Well not this year! Well actually yes this year is the same, I won't be purchasing anything with all that Christmas money but I do have a brand new project to work on and it's something I've been eager to get my teeth stuck into for the last month.
For this Tale each of us has picked one of the mighty forces of the Imperium to come to the aid of Vigilus in it's hour of need. For me that means finally painting my favourite army in 40k, the Adeptus Custodes. I've been in love with this faction since the first plastic models were released in Burning of Prospero, so finding out they were getting a full codex and a host of new models I was positively giddy! Truly the Emperor had heard my prayers and blessed me with this release. It's been one year since the models came out and now finally I'm getting around to painting them, better late than never as they say.
For this Tale the goal will be for each of us to paint 1000 points in 6 months which we'll then take to a doubles event to cap the whole project off. With Custodes being the absolute elite of the elite 1000 points of them doesn't amount to much (14 models in total!) so I feel that I should be giving this Tale a bit more effort to make up for it. As such I'll be aiming to paint my entire collection of Custodes which totals over 2000 points (and a lofty 24 models).
But what good is an army of demi-gods without a suitable backstory, after all the Custodes are renowned for their heroic deeds and the names they gain to mark this. For those who'd like to read:
Vigilus. It had become the jewel of the Imperium after the onset
of Chaos and the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum. This small planet was one of the only stable corridors of travel through the Great Rift, and
so it's value to the Imperium could not be understated. The fate of Imperium
Nihilus rests solely with this one world. It cannot fall. It. Must. Not. Fall.
The Captain General, Trajann Valoris, had seen the evident value of Vigilus long before the large swathe of Imperial forces had descended on the world. To him it was more than simply a transit point through the Great Rift, it was a means of ensuring the Emperor's great works were not lost again. So it was that Trajann dispatched not a Shield Company, but an entire Shield Host to aid in Vigilus' defence.
A Shield Host is a rare thing for the Custodes to ever employ. Few are the enemies that require such absolute force to be directed against them. However Vigilus was not assailed by merely one foe, it seemed the entire galaxy was turning against it. Each Shield Host of the Custodes is adapted for a specific role. Some, like the Shadowkeepers and the Solar Watch, are rarely to be found on the battlefield, instead acting as wardens and watchmen. Others, like the Emissaries Imperatus and the Dread Host, can be found across the Imperium, descending on worlds in need or as part of great crusades to deliver both the Emperors Cleansing Wrath and His Divine Word.
The Auric Talons are of the latter category, a Shield Host formed to deliver nothing but war to those enemies of mankind that would dare stand against them. At their head stands Shield Captain Valerian Ulyssus, a Shieldsmith and victor of over 500 names, he has stood as a guardian of the Emperor's domain for centuries. Acting as his advisers are Captains Diocletian Amun and Achillus Navaran. These 3 Shield Captains form the war council of the Auric Talons.
It is in the crucible of battle that these Custodes will be found, a wall of Auramite that none have ever managed to pierce, and it is due to this reputation that Valoris requested the Talons make for Vigilus. The planet was falling, defences being blasted aside by the bark of Ork cannons and the insidious manipulations of the Genestealer Cults. It needed aid.
However the Auric Talons have earned great renown not for the foes they have bested, but the armies they have inspired to greatness. It is the presence of the Auric Talons that rescued the Merovinian 412th Regiment from collapse after the terror wrought campaign of Dark Eldar raiders. The Sisters of the Order of the Ebon Chalice were given faith anew in the Emperor after Achillus, and his Allarus Custodians, descended on Golden Light to cut the heart from Kranon the Relentless' traitor legions. It was on Adraxis VII, a garden world known across the galaxy for it's beauty, that the shadow of the Tyranids fell. Pressed on all sides, the might of the Salamanders would have failed were it not for the Hykanatoi and Wardens of the Talons. Their stand bolstered the defences long enough for evacuations to complete before the planet was forever lost. The history of the Imperium is littered with stories of the Shield Hosts great deeds. It was Trajann Valoris' belief that the Auric Talons might turn the tide of battle in the Imperiums' favour before more sinister forces were able to act.
The Auric Talons made planetfall not long after the emergence of the Cult of the Pauper Prince, around 3.284.VCM.M41. Their arrival brought a renewed sense of hope to the defenders of Vigilus, for if the Watchers of the Throne have arrived, the Emperors blessings must surely follow with them.
For a time this appeared to be enough. The Xenos threat, while still present, was being slowly contained. With the arrival of Marneus Calgar and his Primaris Chapters it seemed as though the war may yet be won. However, as is the nature with Chaos, they had waited in the shadows for their moment to strike and now Haarken Worldclaimer issued his decree. In 80 days the Warmaster would have this world and you will either kneel, or you will burn.
For the Auric Talons this threat fell upon deaf ears. There was no force in the galaxy, not even that of the Despoiler, that could break them. With but a handful of Custodians the Emperor claimed Terra for his own; What hope did Haarken and his curs have of claiming Vigilus against the might of Valerian and his Shield Host?
However there are whispers in the Aether. The Eyes of the Emperor speak of a larger fleet moving on Vigilus. Haarken is not the true threat. The Despoiler is coming. Against the champion of the Dark Gods would the might of the Auric Talons be enough, or would they and all the Imperium's forces fall beneath Abaddons blade...
Images Courtesy of Games Workshop
My pledge is a bit small this month as I'm also starting a Necromunda league at my local club so I'll need to spend some time building and painting my gang (posts about that soon to follow!). Even so those 4 models will still account for 350 points of my army so I'm still off to a good start.
I've been really eager to get cracking on this project since we first came up with the idea last month. As the Custodes are such a small army it really gives me the opportunity to focus on the individual models and paint each like a character in their own right, which is a real blessing given how slow my painting can be.
So there we have it, I've made my pledge now to get painting. I've got a feeling it's going to be a great year of hobby and I can't wait to see everyone's models at the end of the month for a game.
Until next time,
James
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