Origins and Loyalty
The Emperor’s Children were the Third Legion of the original Space Marine Legions, founded to embody the ideals of perfection and martial excellence. Their Primarch, Fulgrim, was a figure of unmatched beauty and elegance, whose devotion to the Emperor inspired his Legion to strive for the highest standards of loyalty and excellence. In their early days, the Emperor’s Children were considered the Emperor’s shining example of what humanity could achieve, their every action a reflection of grace and discipline. This dedication to perfection became the core of their identity, elevating them as paragons among the Legiones Astartes.
Heresy and Corruption
The fall of the Emperor’s Children began during the Horus Heresy, when Fulgrim and his Legion were seduced by the Chaos God Slaanesh. Promised unparalleled experiences of perfection and sensation, Fulgrim led his Legion down a dark path, abandoning their loyalty to the Emperor. The pursuit of perfection twisted into an insatiable hunger for excess, transforming the once-noble warriors into grotesque hedonists. As their corruption deepened, the Emperor’s Children became infamous for their sadistic tendencies, indulging in depraved pleasures and extreme sensations that further eroded their humanity.
Characteristics and Tactics
The Emperor’s Children are defined by their obsession with perfection, which has devolved into a pursuit of extreme sensory experiences. Their once-noble pursuit of martial excellence has become a grotesque parody, as they seek not just victory but the thrill and ecstasy of battle. They favor close-quarters combat, where the chaos and carnage fuel their need for sensation, and they often use psychological warfare to unnerve their foes. Their signature sonic weaponry amplifies these tactics, unleashing devastating waves of sound that cripple enemies while feeding their own perverse desires.
Notable Figures
Fulgrim remains the most tragic figure of the Emperor’s Children, a once-loyal Primarch now transformed into a daemon prince of Slaanesh. His journey from a paragon of virtue to a symbol of corruption is one of the most harrowing tales of the Horus Heresy. Another infamous figure is Lucius the Eternal, a champion of unparalleled skill in dueling. Cursed by Slaanesh, Lucius cannot die—those who kill him are doomed to transform into new versions of him, perpetuating his legacy of excess and death. Together, Fulgrim and Lucius represent the Legion’s descent into decadence and obsession.
Legacy
After their fall, the Emperor’s Children splintered into countless warbands, each pursuing their own warped goals in the name of Slaanesh. Fulgrim ascended to daemonhood, leading his Legion as a daemon prince while their once-great unity crumbled. The legacy of the Emperor’s Children is a cautionary tale of how the pursuit of perfection can lead to utter ruin. Once paragons of the Emperor’s vision, they now stand as grotesque shadows of their former glory, embodying the dangers of unchecked ambition and the seductive lure of Chaos.
