Emperor's Children

Emperor's Children Armorial with Legion Iconography.

Emperor's Children Assault Sergeant Julian Volorian of the 7th Millennial.

### Observed Strategic Tendancies

Combined Arms Warfare, the use of Complex Maneuvers and Discursive Tactical Planning, Asymmetrical Assault

### Alliegence

Loyalists
 *(Fedelitas Constantus)*

### Colors

Purple and Gold

The **Emperor's Children** are the proud Loyalist First Founding Space Marine Legion known for its drive to attain perfection in all its deeds. They have always striven to be exemplars above all others in the arts of war; paragons of martial virtue and excellence, scorning those who did not meet their own, perhaps unattainable, standards. This led them to seek perfection in war as a fluid, lightning-quick force whose battles were preordained victories bought about by a combination of acute strategic planning and flawless execution. Their attitudes and manner led some to name them as arrogant and vainglorious long before the Shattering, but the Legion's warriors were always ready to answer any such slight with blood.

It was in recognition of this drive that the Emperor granted the warriors of the IIIrd Legion the right to bear the the Palatine Aquila, the Emperor's own standard, upon their plastrons, a unique honour at that time. Given innumerable plaudits and accolades, few doubted that the IIIrd Legion were the embodiment of what the Emperor intended the Legiones Astartes to be: noble in action and aspect, excelling in all matters, strong, civilised, firm of purpose and loyal to the core.

In recognition that the Emperor was the very pinnacle of the perfection Fulgrim aspired to, the IIIrd Legion was named the Emperor's Children. Before the Heresy, Fulgrim proclaimed that his legion had achieved a state of perfection, and for their pains were targeted for destruction at Istvaan by the Ruinous Powers. Through their peerless abilities they survived and ever since have fought tirelessly against the entropy and decline that has afflicted even the Legiones Astartes. With their meticulously maintained marks of ancient equipment and weaponry, they are the epitome of a small, but elite, mobile strike-force.

## Legion Organization

While other legions have increased in size and adapted their command structures over the millennia, the Emperor's Children have defiantly remained the same since Fulgrim took control of the Legion. They are composed of thirty Grand Companies, the same number that made up the legion during the ascension of the Laer campaign. Each Grand Company is led by a Lord Commander, an instrument of Fulgrim's will, who through his subordinate captains directs upwards of a thousand marines. Respect for their superior officers is ingrained into the psyche of the Emperor's Children, with each successive rank moving closer to Lord Fulgrim, and by extension, closer to an unquestionable ideal.

The excessive care taken over both gene-seed purity and the caliber of new recruits has meant that even in the aftermath of the Istvaan Betrayal, the Emperor's Children have never compromised their standards simply to fill out the ranks. Similarly, given the degree of time and effort required to produce their venerated wargear, it is unsurprising that they are by far the smallest of the Emperor's legions. What they lack in numbers, they say, is more than compensated for with their unparalleled skill. This is something which they are all-too eager to demonstrate to Astartes of other legions, be it in the dueling cages, the fighting pits of the Conqueror, or on the battlefield against the Emperor's enemies.

Among lord commanders there is a strictly defined hierarchy. In the absence of Lord Fulgrim, what would elsewhere be called the post of Legion Master resides with the Lord Commander of the First Grand Company, known as the Lord High Commander. Even before the Heresy, each grand company had its own favoured style of combat. This was a reflection of their lord commander's personality, something encouraged by Fulgrim himself. This was reflected in unofficial, but enduring names for each grand company. For example, the Seventh Grand Company are informally known as the 'Hawk Lords' for their unmatched skill at aerial warfare with Raptor pack and jet-bike.

## Legion Appearance

### Legion Colors

The armour that the first warriors of the Space Marine Legions went to war in was cast in storm cloud grey, and bore only the thunderbolt and lightning marks of Imperial Unity. Over time the different Legions gained their own marks of distinction and character, as well as iconic names. Since ancient times, the Space Marines of the IIIrd Legion symbolically colour their armour with lacquer of imperial purple and gold to mark their rank and mission as the Emperor's chosen, with the Emperor's own standard -- the Palatine Aquila -- the golden double-headed eagle, worn upon their chest plates, granted to them by His own hand for their ancient victory during the Proximan Betrayal.

Like their brother Legions early in the Great Crusade, soon the Emperor's Children began to decorate their personal armour with honors that reflected notable skills and deeds. Their armour displayed the typical aesthetics and complex heraldry that was a hallmark of the IIIrd Legion. For example, a helmet crest denoted status within the Legion's organization. White enamel inlay on an individual warrior's armor was used to denote rank and heraldry and was an older Legion tradition dating back to before its unification with the Primarch Fulgrim. Seal papers carried "Oaths of Moment" commending the wearer to fulfill specified duties or ordinances at any cost. During the latter stage of the Great Crusade, the Emperor's Children's wargear and panoply included considerable personal adornment and customization of their armor. A primary example of this would be an Eye of Terra emblem prominently displayed to denote service with the Warmaster.

### Legion Badge

The Emperor's Children Legion badge consists of a golden eagle's wing that ends in a talon. This is part of the symbol of the Palatine Aquila, the Emperor's personal heraldry, which the Emperor's Children were the only Legion authorised to wear at the time. The officers of the IIIrd Legion often wear a larger and more elaborate variant of the taloned eagle's wing that is crafted out of precious metals - usually a gold wing and talon - clutching a precious purple jewel.