Davian Thule

Davain Cool doing his thing in DoW2, also, DAT BIONIC EYE!

Captain Davian Thule (Also known as Davian Cool) was a captain of the Blood Ravens 4th company. He appeared in Dawn of War Dark Crusade and throughout the entire Dawn of War II franchise, where he sorta lost his accented voice, sounding a bit gruff, and got interred into a Dreadnought afterwards (which is probably the best thing that could happen to him).

Dawn of War

Thule first appeared in DoW:DC as the Captain leading 3 companies of Blood Ravens to pacify the planet of Kronus and secure knowledge that pertains to their chapter's history. He was victorious in the end but had his eye poked out when he fought with the Necron Lord there, it is theorized that the cron lord also got his throat, explaining why he lost his sexy accent in DoWII. In his victory, he found certain relics and information about the Chapter's past and it changed how he looked at his chapter forever, which would indicate that the whole prospect of the Blood Ravens stemming from a Thousand Sons cult is true or he found Kyras' stash of /d/-themed porn there.

Ork rush? Fuck that.

Dawn of War II

Captain Thule then returned in DoWII, leading the forces on Calderis. He's so badass that all he does is mounts on top of a hill and starts shooting everything with his heavy bolter without flinching, just to show everyone that he's awesome that way. Much later during the Tyranid incursion, he was mortally wounded and poisoned by a Tyranid warrior and was put on stasis to prevent the poison from utterly killing him. He still beat its ass into the ground before succumbing.

There's a mission on Typhon that requires you to obtain a Tyranid bio-toxin sample as so Apothecary Gordian can create an antidote for Thule and for a certain poison to kill the local splinter fleet's synapse web/connection to the Hive Mind. After you get the bio-toxin sample, he deep strikes as a Dreadnought in the same mission to help you battle the Tyranid Hive Tyrant that appears there (you'll need, the Hive Tyrant is damn strong). After that' he's pretty much available for use in any mission you desire, and boy, will he mess up anyone's day. Give him the ability to self-repair, venerable status and optimize him to be either choppy or shooty (shooty is a bit better), and watch him plow through everything like an IG Baneblade against a lame Cultist rush. He's an invaluable asset for some of the hard-ass bosses like Warboss Bonesmasha and the Avatar of Khaine and is tied with Cyrus for being the most useful member of your team.

With an assault cannon and hellfire rounds and a mighty strike, he can very quickly obliterate large masses of enemies, sweeping away everything at a distance and sending anything that gets close to him flying and get stunned, and if he does take damage; just activate his absurdly fast self repair and watch him start up the rampage all over again, hell he can even charge and send everything in his path flying like bowling pins. And the upside to all of this? All of these abilities recharge very quickly.

If you go all in with Dread Claws, he's pretty much a walking rape machine in CQC. Aim his furious charge skill on a group of enemies and use mighty strike when he stops and viola! 80% of the units in that horde are dead or horribly messed up. He's also one of the damned best tankers this way if you didn't want a choppy Force Commander. The only downside to this is that he's slow, so bosses with the AoE/charge attacks can mess him up and you need one of your guys to carry the "Rites of Repair" item if you haven't gotten his self-repair ability yet, and with that you will still need that item to patch him back up right away in a fight if he gets incapacitated.

Captain Thule not having the best day of his career.

Chaos Rising

Thule returns later in Chaos Rising, still as a Dreadnought. He can't be corrupted like the other squad members but will permanently leave your squad if your hair-etical force commander starts being too heretical. He's basically the ace-in-the-hole for all your missions like in the last game, he can tank and/or screw up the hard bosses in levels like Araghast the Pillager, the second Eldar Avatar of Khaine, if you're pure until the end, Martellus' fucking Chaos Predator (FUUU!!!!), and motherfucking Ulkair (MOTHERFUUUUU!!!!). He can also make enemy armor shit brix from a distance now as multi-meltas are now available as an arm weapon.

If you do trade him for a couple of tainted wargear and powers, you just screwed everything up because he's way better than most of the Chaos powers because hot damn (which take WAY too long to recharge between uses), as good as his hellfire assault cannon sweep was; it is no match for the sheer rapage that the Multi-melta sweep unleashes (the multi-melta sweep can eat up over a hundred thousand hit points in one go if you use it right) and the Multi-melta can still do a shit ton of damage in it's normal firing mode. And using it in combination with the mighty strike is just pure rape. You'll stun your targets allowing you to quickly work out the optimum range and begin the multi-melta sweep's pure unrestrained buttfuck of anyone unlucky enough to be on the wrong end of your weapon, combine this with venerable dreadnought hood and your team will pretty much always be buffed.

Although no Dreadnought could ever replace Davian Thule, if he were on tabletop he'd probably be an unholy mix of Bjorn the Fell-Handed and Moriar the Chosen.

Even in death, I'm still awesome.

Retribution

Thule also returns in Retribution and probably for the last time in the series, he is also no longer playable. He's the target for Eliphas' first mission for revenge and is sadly killed. Many who depended on his sheer power and fluff over the course of three games will miss him and shed Manly Tears upon his death, a number of tears only rivaled by those shed when you have to brutally slaughter Sergeant Merrick in the first Tyranid mission which is bullshit because Merrick is too badass to die.. We like to pretend that the Venerable dreadnought honor guard unit you can use in place of Martellus in the Space Marine Campaign is him. No we don't just pretend it's him, we know it's him...right? *sobs* Strangely enough, the Chaos Dreadnaught that you can take in Neroth's place outshines him (even though his whiny bitching about wanting to die is infinitely more annoying.) Which leads us to suspect it's not him... *sob*

And for a final note, Gabriel, in the final mission of the Space Marine campaign says "Cyrene's secrets live solely with me, and so they shall die with me." However, in the Dawn of War 2 campaign, Gabriel says to the Commander "You may tell Captain Thule that the secrets of Cyrene die with me" This may be a 'sob' clue that Davian is actually dead... 'sob' he actually says "...the secrets of KRONUS die...", praise the Emprah!

Thule is also notable for having an experimental Dreadnaught Assault-Cannon Claw when you fight him in the Chaos Campaign. It fires hellfire cannon rounds out of the under-slung flamethrower of the power claw. It is one of the most innovative weapons crafted by the Adeptus Mechanicus and was, of course, "gifted" to the Chapter by the Mechanicus for helping to save Forgeworld Graia, which took place shortly after the events of the original Dawn of War II.

Let's Look at This Logically

Eliphas' first mission is the only one wherein he does not kill his counterpart from another race, implying a greater degree of canon. After, Relic could have easily made him kill Diomedes. Placing Davian as the final boss of the first level might be hinting at a deeper meaning. After all, the Eliphas vs. Thule rematch was something a great deal of neckbeards wanted to see.

Hence, it is so that /tg/ must prepare itself for the possibility that Davian Thule might be dead. No one has to like it, of course. But hiding behind a fragile wall of weak reasoning will not make things better. *the original writer of this section goes off to quietly sob* HERESY! Davian Thule is not dead... I have personally seen him later on in the game (probably due to a glitch) as a venerable dreadnought of the bad moon clan.

Additionally, as a result of lab tests conducted by /tg/ -- we have found that in all three games where the two are present, Eliphas will beat Davian Thule roughly 80% of the time (unless Eliphas is turned in a Daemon Prince in Dark Crusade, in which Thule will kick his ass, but turning Eliphas into a daemon prince should NEVER by done). Especially in Retribution, where Eliphas cannot drop below 90 points of health in the first mission and is thus functionally immortal while fighting Thule. Not to mention his having better damage than him.

Finally, in the final mission, Gabriel says in his monologue: "...Now Cyrene's secrets lie solely with me...and so shall they die with me..", regardless of what faction you bring to the fight. Thule knew about the secrets of Cyrene as well, which Gabe mentioned in the original DoWII just before the suicide mission to poison the hive mind. Thus, Davian Thule is most likely dead in Retribution. Except Gabriel uses the same phrase, "Cyrene's secrets will die with me", when he thinks he's about to die in the Warp, even though Thule is still very much up and about. Well, as much as a Dreadnought can be. That, or someone in Relic forgot their own canon and fucked up.

OR it could just be a thing the two of them had. "I saw some fucked up shit on Kronus." "Dude... Cyrene man..." "Let's never tell anyone about it." "Totally."

Codex Davian Thule

Time for some tweaks.

	Pts	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Captain Thule (pre-entombment)	180	6	6	4	4	3	5	3	10	2+/4++

Unit Type:

• Infantry (Character)

Unit Composition:

• 1 Captain Thule

Wargear:

• Alexian's Blade: Can be swapped for Thule's Companion for 45 pts, or The Hammer of Cadia for 40 pts.
• Bolt Pistol: See Codex: Space Marines. Can be swapped for a Plasma Pistol for 15 pts or a Meltagun for 10 pts. Either of these is automatically replaced if Thule swaps Alexian's Blade for Thule's Companion or The Hammer of Cadia.
• Artificer Armour
• Iron Halo
• Frag Grenades
• Krak Grenades
• Personal Teleporter - Gains the Deep Strike USR.

Special Rules:

• And They Shall Know No Fear
• Chapter Tactics (Blood Ravens) - Due to the academic nature of the Blood Ravens, they do not have any set tactical doctrines. To reflect this, the player can elect to use any existing Chapter Tactics from Codex: Space Marines and any Forge World supplements.
• Independent Character
• Skyfire (Thule's Companion Only)
• Rage (Alexian's Blade Only)
• Rampage (The Hammer of Cadia Only)
• A Father to His Men - Thule is known to be very protective of those who are under his command and he doesn't take it well when he loses them. If any allied model from the Detachment that includes Davian Thule is removed as a casualty in 12 inches of Thule, then Captain Thule gains the Hatred USR against the model that removed one of his men. If said enemy model is in range, then Captain Thule acts as if under the Counterattack USR.
• Devastator Experience - After defeating the dreaded Chaos Witch Morga, and before he became Captain of the 4th Company, Davian Thule was known very well for his skills as a Devastator Marine. If Thule chooses to take Thule's Companion and join a Devastator Squad, then the squad may use Captain Thule's BS instead of theirs. Additionally the entire squad gains the Skyfire USR.

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• Alexian's Blade: Alexian's Blade is a master crafted Power Sword wielded by Captain Davian Thule of the Blood Ravens during the Kronus campaign. It once belonged to Commander Alexian, a legendary hero of the Blood Ravens.

Name	Range	Strenght	AP	Type
Alexian's Blade	-	+1	3	Melee, Master Crafted, Rending, Critical Strike

• • Critical Strike: If Davian Thule rolls a 6 To Wound in close combat, his attacks gain the Instant Death USR.

• Thule's Companion: Thule's Heavy Bolter that helped him out in a multitude of battles.

Name	Range	Strenght	AP	Type
Thule's Companion	48"	6	4	Heavy 4, Master Crafted, Shred

• Hammer of Cadia: The Hammer of Cadia is a two handed Thunder Hammer belonging to the Blood Ravens Chapter. When elements of the Blood Ravens second company deployed to the Eye of Terror, Captain Davian Thule led the detachment in a daring rear-guard action against a column of warp-horrors advancing on Kasr Sonnen on Cadia. Thule used this Thunder Hammer to kill the Sorcerer directing the horrors.

Name	Range	Strenght	AP	Type
Hammer of Cadia	-	8	2	Melee, Master Crafted, Rending, Shred, Two-Handed, Unwieldy, Unmatched Courage

• • Unmatched Courage: When fighting Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Daemons or Heretics and Renegades, Davian Thule and any squad he's attached to gains the Fearless USR.

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	Points	WS	BS	S	F	S	R	I	A	HP	Ld
Venerable Dreadnought Thule	320	6	6	6	13	13	11	4	4	4	10

Unit Type:

• Vehicle (Walker)

Unit Composition:

• 1 Venerable Dreadnought Thule

Wargear:

• Fist of The Furioso: May exchange it for Nostrum's Farewell for 20 pts, or Solar Immolator for 30 pts.
• Power Fist with built in Heavy Flamer
• Myrmidon Plating: May swap it for Vault of Deep Night for 30 pts.
• Ceramite Plating: See Codex Space Marines.

Special Rules:

• Venerable
• Rampage
• Fearless
• It Will Not Die (Myrmidon Plating Only)
• Leader and Mentor: Even as a Dreadnought, Davian Thule still has the capabilities that made him Captain of the 4th Company. Venerable Davian Thule can be chosen as either a HQ or Elite Choice. If he's chosen as an Elite Choice, then he does not take up an Elite slot. If chosen as a HQ, Venerable Davian Thule can become a Warlord and use Chapter Tactics (Blood Ravens). Additionally all units in a range of 12 inches can use Thule's Ld value when trying to pass Morale, Pinning or Fear Tests.

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• Fist of The Furioso: The last venerable dreadnought to bear this mighty weapon into combat earned the incredible distinction of destroying a Chaos Warhound Titan. A crippling blow to the leg halted the mighty god machine's advance; the Dreadnought then hauled the Titan down, tore asunder its pilot compartment and ruptured its power core. The explosion annihilated a large portion of the Chaos force, and after the battle only this fist remained, still clutching the twisted form of the Titan's mutated pilot.

Name	Range	Strenght	AP	Type
Fist of The Furioso	-	2x	2	Melee, Master Crafted, Shred, Unwieldy, Precision Strikes

• Nostrum's Farewell: Legendary Blood Ravens hero Markus "The Worthy" Nostrum, suffered grievous wounds at the Battle of Yaltha and was chosen to become a venerable dreadnought. Two centuries later, he leveled this mighty assault cannon at the stream of xenos hordes during the Fourth Crusade to the Halo Stars. Holding the southern flank by himself, he laid down a hail of devastation that allowed the crusaders to mount a counter attack. He did not survive.

Name	Range	Strenght	AP	Type
Nostrum's Farewell	30	7	3	Heavy 4, Shred, Rending, Blast

• Solar Immolator: Dreadnought Astyanax of the Ultramarines carried this overpowering weapon into battle in twenty campaigns. The honored warrior claimed the weapon channeled the light and power of Sol itself, and with it the fury of the Emperor.

Name	Range	Strenght	AP	Type
Solar Immolator	24	8	1	Heavy 2, Shred, Blast

• Myrmidon Plating: Inspired by the regenerative capabilities of the Tyranid xenos, the Techmarines of the Brazen Claws chapter set about crafting dreadnought plating which could recover from the most grievous assaults. Grants the It Will Not Die USR.

• Vault of Deep Night: The existence of a venerated dreadnought is at best a shadow of life. Autolochus of the Iron Snakes survived seven hundred years in this blessed tomb, often alone and silent for decades at a time. Upon waking for his final combat duties, Autolochus pronounced, "I have seen enough of the deep night. Let us venture into the light of His protection." Grants immunity to the Lance USR. Additionally units in 12 inches of Davian gain the Shrouded USR if he decides to take this upgrade.

Memorable Quotes

• "Emperor protect... let none find us wanting..." *blows up*
• "Oh, Davian, He cannot hear you." - Eliphas, before *sob* killing him *sob*
• "I have grown practiced at killing you, Eliphas." - Clearly not practiced enough, given how that fight ended. *sob*
• "Commander... you must step back from madness... do not make yourself into my enemy..." - What Thule says after every third mission if you are becoming corrupted. And you'd better do as he says.
• "I am Davian Thule. And I shall be your death, alien." - Before fucking over a Hive Tyrant.
• "We are NOT Brothers, Heretic!" - A fine thing to say to every Chaos Marine who tries acting like Eliphas.