2nd Company — The Dawn Spears

The 2nd Company, known as the Dawn Spears, is the Chapter’s assault company in accordance with the Codex. While the 1st Company represents the seasoned wisdom of the veteran, the 2nd embodies the Chapter’s aggressive spirit. They are the first wave, the fire that falls from the heavens to cleanse a landing zone. To serve in the Dawn Spears is to embrace a life of constant motion; their brothers rarely know the stillness of a garrison, instead spending their years in the cramped bays of strike cruisers, waiting for the signal to drop.

Induction into the 2nd is a mark of a Brother’s thirst for the fray. Candidates are drawn from those who displayed a particular talent for close-quarters brutality and high-speed maneuvers be they Knights or Rangers. Within the Chapter’s dual doctrine, the Dawn Spears are a unique fusion: they possess the martial ferocity of the Knights and the pinpoint, devastating timing of the Rangers.

Units

Assault Intercessors 30, Jump Pack Assault Intercessors 30, Infernus Marines 25, Inceptors 15

Deployment and Squad Types

The Dawn Spears do not believe in holding ground: they believe in shattering it. Their deployment is characterized by the roar of jump packs and the hiss of drop pods. They operate in high-intensity spearhead formations of multiple different squad types working together designed to overwhelm the enemy's senses. Inceptors crash from the sky taking out vehicles or defenses as Jump Pack Assault Intercessors launch from cover to strike at trench lines. This initial chaos cover the advance of Impulsors and Repulsors that deliver Assault Intercessor and Infernus Squads into the fray.

Elements of the 2nd often fight alongside the 3rd and 4th in demi-company maneuvers to overwhelm and dominate a battlefield.

Assault and Jump Pack Assault Intercessors

The core of the Company consists of its Assault Intercessors. Whether moving on foot to clear trenches or screaming down from the skies via jump packs, these warriors are masters of the chainsword and heavy bolt pistol. The Jump Pack squads, in particular, are the namesake of the Company; they are the "Spears" that strike at dawn, hitting the enemy line at terminal velocity to create gaps for the rest of the Chapter to exploit.

Infernus Squads

When the Spears encounter entrenched infantry or xenos hives, they call upon their Infernus Brothers. Armed with pyreblasters, these squads provide the "cleansing light" of the Company. They are experts in area denial and urban purging, ensuring that once the Dawn Spears have taken a position, nothing remains alive to reclaim it. Their role is to burn away the shadow so the Spears can continue their advance.

Inceptor Squads

The Inceptors are the Company’s heavy orbital vanguard. Encased in reinforced Gravis armor, they lead the descent, acting as living meteors. While the Jump Pack brothers engage in duels, the Inceptor squads provide overwhelming suppressive fire with assault bolters or plasma exterminators. They are the mobile anvils upon which the Captain’s hammer falls, providing the heavy fire support necessary to sustain a high-speed assault without the need for slow-moving tanks.

The Role of their Captain: "Lord Executioner"

The Captain of the 2nd Company holds the ancient and grim title of Lord Executioner. He is the Chapter's primary judge and headsman on the battlefield. It is his duty to seek out the enemy commander, the rebel governor, or the xenos warlord and deliver a final, public sentence.

In the Chapter’s hierarchy, the Lord Executioner is the master of "The Quick Death." While the 1st Company's Regent might oversee a long campaign of attrition, the Lord Executioner is tasked with ending wars before they can truly begin. He is often seen at the head of a Jump Pack charge, his own power weapon glowing with the heat of atmospheric entry, seeking the single stroke that will break the enemy’s will to fight.

He liaises closly with the Whisperers of the 10th and recon forces of the Rangers in battle planning. Where the Rangers find the way, it is the 2nd that clears it.