Emperor's Children (III Legion) – Horus Heresy Era (ca. 005-014.M31)
Primary colours: Imperial purple (deep, regal violet) power armour with gold trim and accents. Extensive use of white or platinum for veterans and specialists. Many warriors displayed the Palatine Aquila (the Emperor's personal double-headed eagle) on their chestplates — a unique honour granted to this Legion alone before the Heresy.
Legion symbol: A golden eagle's wing ending in a talon (often stylised with lightning or flame motifs).
Common decorations: Highly ornate and individualised armour. Warriors competed in perfection of appearance and martial display, with intricate patterns, gilded edges, personal heraldry, and trophies from worthy foes. Helmets were often gold or silver for officers. Charnabal sabres and duelling blades were proudly displayed. Vehicles featured elegant lines, purple/gold schemes, and aquila motifs.
Pre-Heresy they embodied aristocratic elegance and martial perfection; as the Heresy progressed, some began shifting toward more garish, excessive decorations.
The Emperor's Children had a highly competitive, merit-and-skill-based hierarchy that emphasised individual excellence, duelling prowess, and artistic/martial achievement. They used formal Roman-inspired titles alongside a culture of perfection.
Standard ranks: Legionary (Battle-Brother) → Sergeant (Decanus) → Lieutenant / Prefector → Captain → Lord Commander.
Veterancy markers: White inlays or trim; platinum blazoning for elite units like the Palatine Blades.
Phoenix Guard: Primarch's elite honour guard. Ornate Artificer armour with phoenix/draconic motifs, heavy gold, and master-crafted weapons. Exemplars of perfection.
Palatine Blades: Elite swordsmen brotherhoods. Highly skilled duellists in ornate armour with platinum markings, armed with Charnabal sabres.
Phoenix Terminators: Veteran 1st Company elites in Tactical Dreadnought armour, often with phoenix iconography.
Other distinctions: Company-specific numerals or motifs, helmet crests for sergeants/officers, and personal iconography celebrating victories or duels. Heralds and Equerries served as officers of arms and aides. The Brotherhood of the Phoenix was an officer fraternity.
Rank and status were constantly tested through duels, competitions, and demonstrations of superiority.
The III Legion was founded during the Unification Wars on Terra, recruiting from noble houses of Europa. Early on, they were few in number and suffered gene-seed issues but earned renown for discipline and excellence. They fought alongside the Luna Wolves under Horus for decades.
Primarch Fulgrim (the Phoenician) was discovered on the toxic industrial world Chemos. A paragon of physical and artistic perfection, he reformed and expanded the Legion, instilling an obsessive drive for flawlessness in all things. The Emperor granted them the name "Emperor's Children" and the exclusive right to bear the Palatine Aquila after their heroic defence during the Proximan Betrayal.
Pre-Heresy, they were among the most accomplished and noble Legions, excelling in precise, artistic warfare. The campaign against the Laer (where Fulgrim claimed the Blade of Laeran) proved pivotal — a Slaaneshi daemon blade began corrupting Fulgrim.
During the Horus Heresy: The Emperor's Children turned traitor early. They participated in the Istvaan III virus-bombing and purge of loyalists (many heroic loyalists like Saul Tarvitz fought on). At Istvaan V (Drop Site Massacre), Fulgrim slew his brother Ferrus Manus (aided by the daemon blade), though this act shattered his soul and allowed the daemon to possess his body. The Legion embraced excess and Slaanesh worship, descending into hedonism, sonic weaponry, and depravity. They fought in shadow campaigns, the Siege of Terra, and various atrocities, becoming ever more twisted while still retaining some martial excellence.
By the Heresy's end, they were fractured but remained dangerous agents of Chaos.
Tactics: Pre-Heresy masters of combined arms, manoeuvre warfare, asymmetric assault, and perfection in execution. They favoured rapid, elegant strikes, precise coordination, and overwhelming the enemy with superior skill and artistry. Duelling, flanking, and displaying martial superiority were key. As corruption set in, tactics shifted toward psychological warfare, sensory overload, sonic assaults, and indulgent slaughter.
Common weapons/equipment:
Signature weapons: Charnabal sabres (elegant power blades), power swords, boltguns with ornate modifications. Increasing use of sonic weaponry (Kakophoni) and noise marines as corruption spread.
Specialist: Volkite, plasma, and melta for precision. Heavy use of jump packs and fast vehicles.
Elite gear: Phoenix Guard with master-crafted arms; Palatine Blades with duelling weapons; Terminators with ornate Cataphractii/Tartaros plate.
Vehicles: Elegant Rhinos, Land Raiders, Spartans, and jetbikes (often with phoenix motifs). Pride of the Emperor (flagship) was a masterpiece.
Fulgrim's wargear: The Laer Blade (daemon weapon), Fireblade, and other master-crafted artefacts.
They excelled at turning battles into performances of superiority.
Fulgrim (the Phoenician): Primarch. Paragon of perfection turned daemon-possessed hedonist. Duelled and killed Ferrus Manus at Isstvan V.
Lucius the Eternal: 13th Captain. Arrogant master swordsman and duellist. Constantly sought to prove his superiority; became a champion of Slaanesh.
Lord Commander Eidolon: Senior officer. Gifted with enhanced abilities; led forces with charisma and ruthlessness.
Saul Tarvitz: 10th Captain. Exemplary loyalist who fought heroically against the traitors on Isstvan III.
Julius Kaesoron: First Captain. Brutal and loyal to Fulgrim.
Marius Vairosean: 3rd Company Captain; became a Kakophoni leader.
Fabius Bile (Lieutenant Commander/Chief Apothecary): Began twisted experiments during the Heresy.
Other notables: Solomon Demeter (2nd Captain, loyalist leanings), Vespasian (Lord Commander), various Palatine Blades and Phoenix Guard warriors.
The Emperor's Children started as the noblest expression of Imperial perfection and fell into the deepest excesses of Slaanesh. Their tragedy is one of hubris and the corruption of ideals.
Children of the Emperor!