vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Emperor's Children - Sisypheum: Unknown to both the Emperor's Children and the Iron Warriors, they were being pursued by a ragtag group of Loyalist Astartes who were survivors of the Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V and were determined to stop the Traitors at all costs. These Loyalist Space Marines were gathered from survivors that had fought their way out of the killing ground of the Urgall Depression on Istvaan V.They had managed to escape the Istvaan System aboard an Iron Hands Strike Cruiser known as the Sisypheum. Iron Hands Astartes and their mortal serfs formed the bulk of the warship's crew, but surviving warriors of the Salamanders and a single Raven Guard Astartes were also counted among their number.In the wake of the slaughter, escape from the Istvaan System had been a nerve shredding series of mad dashes under fire and silent runs through the Traitors' orbital blockade, culminating in a final sprint to the gravipause, the minimum safe distance between a star's mass and a vessel's ability to survive a Warp Jump. The Sisypheum had escaped the trap, but not without great cost.The solar months that followed saw the Sisypheum embark on a series of hit-and-run attacks on Traitor forces on the northern frontiers of the galaxy, wreaking harm like a lone predator swimming in a dark ocean. Traitor forces seeking flanking routes through the Segmentum Obscurus were their prey; scout craft, cartographae ships, slow-moving supply hulks heavily laden with mortal troops, ammunition and weapons.Disruption and harassment were the Sisypheum 's main objective until contact had been established with disparate groups of Loyalist forces that had also escaped the massacre, and a stratagem of sorts agreed upon. With the Xth Legion too scattered to function in a traditional battlefield role, its surviving commanders found their own way to fight back: as the thorns in the flanks of the leviathan that distract it from the swordthrust to the vitals.At Cavor Sarta, an Iron Hand known as Sabak Wayland and the lone Raven Guard survivor Nykona Sharrowkyn had captured an Unlingual Cipher Host -- one of the so-called "Kryptos" -- a hybrid abomination creature of the Dark Mechanicum that had previously made the Traitors' code network a cryptographic impossibility to break. With the Kryptos, Loyalist commanders were able to finally access the Traitors' coded communications.And with this knowledge, the Sisypheum 's Captain, the Iron Hand Ulrach Branthan, had ordered the Sisypheum to make the circuitous journey to Hydra Cordatus and the meeting of the Traitor Primarchs that had been indicated by the cracked communications. After learning of Fulgrim's intentions to enter the Eye of Terror and recover the Angel Exterminatus, the crew of the Sisypheum made their way towards the Warp Rift, aided by a mysterious Eldar guide with the intention of thwarting the Traitors' plan to acquire the unknown xenos weapon.
Emperor's Children - Crone World: The destination of the joint fleet of Iron Warriors and Emperor's Children vessels was the lost Aeldari world of Iydris, a world said to have been favoured by the goddess Lileath. Iydris was one of the legendary Crone Worlds, which once formed the heart of the fallen Aeldari Empire before they were consumed by the creation of the vast Warp rift that was the Eye of Terror following the birth of the Chaos God Slaanesh.The lost world was located at the heart of the Eye of Terror, somehow remaining in a fixed position keeping it from destruction in the gravitational hellstorm of a supermassive black hole that lay at the centre of the eternal Warp Storm. It was from this epicentre that the galaxy vomited unnatural matter into the void, a dark doorway to an unknowable destination and an unimaginably powerful singularity whose gravity was so strong that it consumed light, matter, space and time in its destructive core.Their ultimate goal was within the Primarchs' grasp; the Sepulchre of Isha's Doom, which sat at the centre of the citadel of Amon ny-shak Kaelis. The citadel stood astride the entrance to the prison tomb of the Angel Exterminatus. Before launching a full planetary assault, the Iron Warriors launched a preliminary orbital bombardment around the citadel, a standard practise when preparing to assault a potentially hostile environment.A cone of fire gouged the surface of Iydris, burning, pounding and flattening in the blink of an eye structures that had stood inviolate for tens of thousands of Terran years. A barren ring of pulverised earth encircled the citadel of Amon ny-shak Kaelis, leaving its walls, towers and temples an isolated island cut off from the rest of the planet's structures by a billowing firestorm of planet-cracking force.In the wake of this orbital bombardment flocks of Thunderhawks, Stormbirds, Warhawks and heavy planetary landers launched from crammed embarkation decks. Bulk tenders descended to low orbit and disgorged thousands of troop carriers, armour lifters and supply barques. Titanic, gravity-cushioned mass-landers moved with majestic slowness as two Titans of the Legio Mortis took to the field, and this was but the first wave of the invasion. Another eight would follow before the martial power of two entire Space Marine Legions and their auxiliary Imperial Army forces had made planetfall.
Emperor's Children - Flames of Rebellion: Over the next seven Terran years that followed the massacre on Istvaan V, Horus' rebellion spread across the galaxy, consuming the entire Imperium in the flames of the horrific civil war known to history as the Horus Heresy. By the time the final Siege of Terra began, the Emperor's Children had become only shadows of their former glorious selves, wholly consumed by the desires of Slaanesh, with every trace of decency long lost.While the other Traitor Legions assaulted the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's Children instead launched themselves upon the innocent citizens of Terra, engaging in a mad orgy of rape, terror and mutilation that only barely began to satiate their all-consuming, Slaanesh-inspired hunger for hedonistic pleasure, pain and sensation.Billions of Terrans were used as human guinea pigs or raw materials in the Emperor's Childrens' constant desire to create ever more powerful stimulants, as daemonic hosts to bring Slaaneshi daemonic legions to the fight from the Warp or were simply slain outright to allow a Traitor Marine the fleeting enjoyment brought on by the sensation of brutal murder.
Emperor's Children - Legion Command Hierarchy: Fulgrim maintained clear and rigid lines of authority within the Emperor's Children Legion. The primarch himself stood in overall command of his Legion and beneath him were ten officers known as "lord commanders" who led the first ten "millennials" (chapters) of the Legion. Fulgrim had invested ten of his gene-sons with this exalted rank when the IIIrd Legion was still recovering from near-extinction and the tradition had remained strong throughout the Great Crusade.Forming an inner circle around the primarch, each lord commander was expected to be a paragon example of leader, warrior and noble. Two of the IIIrd Legion's preeminent officers were the Lord Commanders Eidolon and Vespasian in the latter days of the Great Crusade. The primarch Sanguinius of the Blood Angels Legion once called these ten the "Princes of War," and to them fell the leadership of the largest and greatest campaigns undertaken by the Emperor's Children.It was common for a lord commander to be given overall command of forces consisting of contingents from other Legions, millions of soldiers of the Imperial Army, and forces drawn from many militant arms of the Imperium. On the rare occasion of a true failure in command, a lord commander was apt to take his own life in penance.Authority in the IIIrd Legion descended through an elaborate and multi-tiered command structure which reached from the lord commanders through the Praetorate which in turn comprised officers known as commanders, lieutenant commanders, masters, sub-commanders, tribunes palatine and ordinary, captains of various divisions, to consuls, equerries, Ancients of various functions, further down through centurions and heralds to the praefactors and sergeants who commanded the Legion's individual squads, down finally to the Legion's individual line warriors.As each Space Marine of the IIIrd Legion looked to his superior for guidance and leadership by example, and devotedly followed their lead in matters of style and doctrine, they created a pattern of leadership that bordered on a personality cult at every level throughout the Legion, with Fulgrim himself and beyond him the Emperor viewed as objects of almost religious devotion.This fanaticism was well-noted by the Legion's peers (some of whom did not look favourably upon its obsessive quality in their private councils), and was outmatched perhaps only by that once held by the Word Bearers. That such fervent loyalty to the Emperor could be so readily set aside in the days before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy seems incredible, but nevertheless it proved true. Such is the potent elixir of corruption offered by the Ruinous Powers, and why men and women must guard against their subversion by any means necessary.
Emperor's Children - Post-Heresy: The entirety of the IIIrd Legion's careful hierarchy and well-ordered formations was lost after the end of the Horus Heresy when the Emperor's Children were scattered by their constant battles with the other Traitor Legions during the Legion Wars in their pursuit of new slaves to torment and enjoy.By the time of the late 41st Millennium, the Emperor's Children Legion had fragmented into a small number of Chaos Space Marine warbands of varying size, each led by their own commander who had no allegiance or care for the other warbands in the Legion.Each Heretic Astartes now displayed the pathological selfishness common to devotees of Slaanesh and had become completely self-absorbed in his own quest for new sensations and pleasures, associating with the other members of his own warband only because their numbers made it easier for these Chaos Space Marines to engage in the battles and slave-taking that were their primary sources of sensation and pleasure.
Emperor's Children - Legion Combat Doctrine: In the days before the Horus Heresy and the Emperor's Children corruption, the IIIrd Legion accepted nothing less than perfection in all their endeavours, and worked ceaselessly to perfect their military operations. Each and every Space Marine trained every waking hour for his assigned task, whether it be as a foot soldier, driver, gunner, scout or sniper.Every aspect of battle was analysed and used to their advantage, from terrain and weather to deployment or reserves. Nothing was left to chance. In combat the Emperor's Children were as brave as any Space Marines who ever lived, sustained not merely by the example of their peers but by a deep individual belief in their duty.They fought to the best of their abilities in all conditions, whether the battle was a massive planetary assault or a simple patrol. It was widely believed that no Space Marine of the Emperor's Children had ever been routed in battle. Similarly, the IIIrd Legion was highly demanding of the forces allied with it.Any signs of hesitation or inefficiency in the Imperial Army units serving alongside the Legion or even amongst their brother Astartes, was not tolerated. The main guiding principle of the Legion was to lead by example, which was ingrained into every fibre of the Emperor's Children. They had little patience for any other regimen.To the Emperor's Children, before their fall from grace, war was a matter of perfection incarnated in violence, intent and action. The IIIrd Legion took great pride both in its excellence on any battlefield, and its ability to systematically replicate any tactic or strategic deployment it needed, and execute them flawlessly on command.Of the innumerable such formations and tactics the Emperor's Children operated, one that found favour with the Legion's Praetors looking to achieve faultless victory -- and thereby glory in the eyes of their peers and Primarch -- was the Marus Skara or "Killing Cut".Named after one of the most difficult strikes in the lore of the Pan-Europic duelling cults before Terran Unification, it called for a precisely timed, rapid-moving feint designed to engage an opponent's guard so that a second, invariably fatal, blow could be dealt against it which there could be no defence from.
Emperor's Children - Legion Homeworld: Chemos was once the homeworld of the Emperor's Children before their corruption by the Chaos God Slaanesh and betrayal of the Emperor of Mankind during the Horus Heresy. Chemos was the planet where the Emperor's Children's Primarch Fulgrim was discovered by the Emperor during the Great Crusade.In ancient days it was classified by the Imperium of Man as both a Civilised World and a Mining World. Following the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, Chemos had an edict of Exterminatus declared against it by the Imperium and was destroyed, as happened to all of the hopelessly corrupted homeworlds of the Traitor Legions. Since that time, Chemos has been a Dead World.In the 41st Millennium, the IIIrd Legion now exists only as small, fragmented warbands, each adopting their own base within the Eye of Terror from which to strike out at the demesnes of the False Emperor. Rumours also persist of a Daemon World in the Eye of Terror dedicated to pleasure ruled over by the Daemon Primarch Fulgrim, although how substantial a detachment of Emperor's Children Chaos Space Marines he retains, if indeed such a planet exists, is unknown.
Emperor's Children - Emperor's Children Names: Emperor's Children names are generally derived from those used by the people of ancient Chemos, though they also sometimes include a name derived from a physical feature, personality quirk, past deed, or other defining feature.Examples of Emperor's Children names include: Dalian Thorn, Xiander Thest, Saul Vastorian, Fabian the Hedonist, Lucian the Perfect, Clavius Konemos, Lycon Mirrorborn, Shiron Fortillian, Solomon the Idolator, Laviscus of the Silken Blade, Posca the Inevitable, Dellinus the Seeker of Pleasures, and Decanus Capersi.
Emperor's Children - Pre-Heresy: According to the surviving IIIrd Legion monuments seized by the Inquisition, the Emperor's Children did not literally deify the Emperor, but the strength and passion of their belief in Him was equal to that of any later adherent of the Imperial Cult. Following Fulgrim's lead, the IIIrd Legion believed that the Emperor represented the pinnacle of humanity, and that only by following His example was it possible to attain one's full potential as a human being.Any person or group who resisted this goal was below contempt, not worthy even of consideration as a fellow human. However, the IIIrd Legion's near-worship of the Emperor was extremely hierarchical. The Emperor's perfection was thought to be embodied first by the Primarchs, then the officers of the Astartes Legions, and finally the squad sergeants and the line Space Marines themselves.Normal humans were expected to try and emulate the perfection of the Astartes as best as their obviously inferior positions would allow. Inquisition theorists speculate that this belief system is why it was so easy for the entire IIIrd Legion to be corrupted following the seduction of Fulgrim and his fellow officers, as the entirety of the Legion would simply emulate the actions and beliefs of those they believed to be the paragons of perfection.If those paragons claimed that allegiance to the Emperor was now to be replaced by devotion to Slaanesh, then it was startlingly easy to make this change amongst most of the IIIrd Legion's non-commissioned officers and line warriors.The surviving records tell that, before their fall to Chaos, the Emperor's Children believed that the Emperor would eventually achieve total conquest of the galaxy, and with all hindrances removed there would remain no obstacle to the ultimate perfection of human civilisation. Whilst their studies of battle were all-important, the Space Marines of the IIIrd Legion were taught reverence for the cultural aspects of Mankind's civilisation -- music, art and sculpture among others.Artisans were brought from all the worlds of the Imperium to fashion the Legion's armour, weapons and vehicles to the highest standards. The diversity of humanity was highly prized, and there were few restrictions on the avenues of learning available to the Astartes of the Emperor's Children.
Emperor's Children - Martial Traditions: The Emperor's Children always strove 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 brought 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 Horus Heresy, but the Legion's warriors were always ready to answer any such slight with blood. Duelling between Battle-Brothers was a part of many Space Marine Legions' martial traditions.For some these practices were a matter of training and honing the skills of battle. For others they took on significance beyond that of practical necessity; they became an end in themselves rather than a means to effectiveness in war. The fighting pits of the World Eaters Legion are one example, the Blade Feasts of the Imperial Fists another.To the Emperor's Children, however, duelling was a fundamental part not only of their training but also of their psychology. The duel was the ultimate expression of a warrior's skill and prowess, a mirror which reflected his essence.The weapons they used to duel with were a key part of this culture, and spoke to their aesthetic appreciation. Many of the Emperor's Children bore swords crafted by the blade-smiths of a thousand worlds. Among these, the Charnabal sabres of the Old Terran tradition were a particular mark of quality within the Legion; forged to ancient rituals and alchemical formulae each blade was a unique product of a master sword maker.The habit of taking particularly fine weapons from defeated enemies was a strong characteristic of the wider Legion. If a renowned swordsman encountered a weapon of surpassing quality in the hands of an enemy, he would take it as a trophy. The swordsman would then practise with the trophy weapon until he wielded it with more skill than its original wielder, this act representing an almost kabbalistic ritual intended to absorb and defeat the enemy in spirit.So it was that the champions of the Emperor's Children wielded Racathian glass glaives, friction axes from the Norvik Sinks, Aegisine "saintie," Tuonela mortuary swords, Terran gladii and Martian-forged power blades to name but a few. No prohibition existed against weapons taken from aliens or cultures that were otherwise worthy only for destruction; all that mattered was the quality of the weapon itself.
Emperor's Children - Perfection of the Flesh: The quest for perfection consumed the Emperor's Children in body as well as spirit. For some it was not enough to achieve the accolade of perfection, they thirsted to embody that perfection. For these warriors it was not enough that the Emperor had crafted their flesh, and shaped each with insight and knowledge no other could rival; their granted transhuman state was simply the beginning of an unfinished path.Evidence would emerge during the Heresy that many years before Horus' treachery was made manifest, a few amongst the Emperor's Children Legion believed that they could perhaps improve on what gene-seed, human breeding and the Emperor's design had made them. They tampered with implanted gene-seed organs, analysed and modified their Progenoid Glands, and undertook surgical augmentation of those willing subjects who shared their obsessions.The blasphemies of flesh this belief would birth only emerged in the darkest years of the terrible Imperial civil war that would follow after the Istvaan III Atrocity, but its root must have grown long before the Emperor's Children trod the hot ashes of Istvaan III.The root of this folly was no doubt to be found in the Legion's Apothecaries, as the Emperor's Children's Apothecarion in proportion was considerably larger than that of most other Legions, and was both fiercely proud of its work and acutely paranoid of failure in its responsibility, spurred on no doubt by the weight of memory regarding the IIIrd Legion's past near-extinction.In time criminal and outlawed medicae-practices would spread cancerously, become Warp-tainted and swallow all of the Emperor's Children, but it seems likely that the taint of evil began with a few individuals, and possibly with just one, Lieutenant Commander Fabius, the Legion's Chief Apothecary at the time of the Heresy whose name has since become a byword for atrocity and Chaos corruption.It is certainly known that the Apothecaries of the IIIrd Legion performed more careful purity checks on their Aspirants and gene-seed before implantation. Did those checks stray and become "correction?" Certainly there were elements in the Emperor's Children who bore "improvements" before the Istvaan III Atrocity. Some beneath a shell of apparent superhuman normality concealed augmented senses, modified musculature, even surgical alterations to their brain structure far from aligned to the Emperor's-ordained pattern set for the Space Marines of the Legiones Astartes.Transgenic blasphemy and forbidden technology may have played its part, but above all it was the fact that many of the Emperor's Children willingly embraced such alteration that was the true corruption that went unnoticed. It seems that the submission to such procedures was akin to a secret cult within the Emperor's Children. While the warrior lodges played their part in dragging other Legions into heresy, amongst the Emperor's Children it was their own sins of the flesh and arrogant pride in their own perfection that helped them on the path to damnation.
Emperor's Children - The Long War: Perfection is normally an impossible goal to achieve. Life is finite, and there is only so much that can be done through its course. Time pushes ever onward, stealing opportunities and exchanging them for failures and regrets. This is the truth of existence for all creatures in the mortal realm. There are, however, places where the rules that govern reality are suspended, where time can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed. Warp rifts such as the Eye of Terror and the Screaming Vortex are such places.Within these treacherous domains, the ancient veterans of the Long War experience time differently than those who fear to enter. Time is theirs to do with as they please. They can spend it honing their skills, plotting vengeance, and practicing their deadly arts -- and as it is said, practice makes perfect.The Emperor's Children and other Space Marines whom the Dark Prince released from the shackles of Imperial dogma have had thousands of Terran years to revel in their freedom. Like all the warriors who fought the Emperor's tyranny, these Chaos Space Marines have a burning hatred of the Emperor and His simple minions smouldering within them.Unlike those others, they have found pleasure in the intensity of this hatred, and this has shown them the value of an existence in the borders between realspace and the Realm of Chaos. There they are free to linger over an emotion, to savour the sensations of the passions they feel. They can expose themselves to delightful torments, immerse themselves in debauched distractions, and experiment with new and gratifying ways to pursue their desire for revenge.As far as they are concerned, the followers of Slaanesh believe that Khorne can be content with simply killing, or Tzeentch with his black schemes. A warrior of Slaanesh has much more interesting things to do to his enemies than merely ending their lives, and within the timeless realms he and his subjects can experience and experiment with them all.
Emperor's Children - Legion Gene-Seed: Much is still extant in the ancient Imperial documentation of the IIIrd Legion's Founding, and from the data it is apparent that the mark of the Legion's gene-seed and its conditioning produced warriors with finely sculpted physiques, a noble bearing, and finely-controlled thought processes, with psychological tendencies driven towards personal achievement and competition to prove individual superiority.The only physical abnormality registered was the occasional incidence of albinism, and a shift in iris colour to violet in some recruits. Such minor effects of the gene-seed implantation and conditioning process did nothing to distract from the aura of aesthetic refinement that clung to the IIIrd Legion, even in the first years, and they were held up as an archetype to be lauded and by whom other Astartes were judged.After the near-destruction of the IIIrd Legion during its Founding because of the accident and viral blight affecting its gene-seed, surviving fragments of the Codex Apothecarion Terra indicate that absolute excellence was demanded of the Apothecaries who handled and worked on the precious genetic material. This ethos quickly merged with the Legion's general belief in perfection, so that the Emperor's Children's gene-seed was perhaps the most pure and stable of all the Space Marine Legions before the start of the Horus Heresy.Only the finest physical specimens of male adolescence were chosen for implantation, so that the mutation rate of the gene-seed was practically zero. As the Emperor's Children were dedicated to perfection, there were nearly no psykers wihin the Legion, for such a mutation, even when beneficial, would be considered to detract from the overall perfection of the Aspirant.Every enhancement produced by the gene-seed functioned at peak efficiency, allowing these Space Marines to achieve their full potential in battle. No other Space Marine Legion achieved such a goal, and the technology and expertise required have never been rediscovered in the millennia following the Horus Heresy.Like all the Traitor Legions, however, the Emperor's Children's gene-seed is now so corrupted and riddled with Chaos mutations that it is functionally useless for creating new Astartes. As such, the Emperor's Children, if they could pull themselves away from their self-indulgences long enough to care, must steal pure gene-seed stores from the Loyalist Space Marine Chapters when the opportunity presents itself if they seek to increase their numbers.
Emperor's Children - Pre-Heresy: Before their corruption at the start of the Horus Heresy, the Space Marines of the IIIrd Legion symbolically coloured 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.While this is now a common decoration for Astartes armour in the 41st Millennium, during the days of the Great Crusade, only the Emperor's Children were allowed to display the Aquila as a sign of their favour in the eyes of the Emperor. This bolstered their already considerable pride to the point where Horus' flattery and Fulgrim's obsessions with perfection took root all the more easily, eventually leading to their downfall.As if to mark a break from the wars of the past, 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's Raptor Imperialis. Over time the different Legions gained their own marks of distinction and character, as well as iconic names. Like their brother Legions, soon the Emperor's Children began to decorate their personal armour with honours 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 organisation. White enamel inlay on an individual warrior's armour 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 customisation of their armour. A primary example of this would be an Eye of Horus emblem prominently displayed to denote service with the Warmaster and possible involvement in the Legion's warrior lodge, the Brotherhood of the Phoenix.
Emperor's Children - Post-Heresy: During the Horus Heresy, the Emperor's Children repainted their armour in those colours which honour Slaanesh -- pastel colours such as pink and black; they also favour bright, garish, clashing, sensuous colours for decoration and no two Emperor's Children Heretic Astartes will have the same colour patterns on their power armour. They also make wide use of Noise Marines in their forces.An excellent description of what an Emperor's Children Heretic Astartes looks like in the 41st Millennium is here recounted:"His armour was enamelled with garish hues, eye-watering purple and squint-inducing gold, and encrusted with garish decoration and filigree like a tree choked with vines run amok. What flesh that could be seen within the armour was pale white, and studded with piercings, needles and rings of all varieties. The eyes which gazed out of that white skull seemed deadened and numb, the pupils so wide and dilated that scarcely any iris was visible. These were eyes that had seen too much and never quite recovered. It was a condition that was like the opposite of blindness -- rather than milky orbs that could see nothing, these were black eyes that could see everything, and could never look away."
Emperor's Children - Pre-Heresy: The Emperor's Children Legion's badge during the Great Crusade consisted of a golden eagle's wing that ended in a talon. This was part of the symbol of the 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 wore a larger and more elaborate variant of the taloned eagle's wing that was crafted out of precious metals, usually a gold wing and talon that clutched a purple jewel.
Emperor's Children - Post-Heresy: Once the Horus Heresy began, the Emperor's Children began to decorate their garish power armour with the blasphemous symbols and sigils of Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure, as well as the eight-pointed Star of Chaos, an oft-incorporated heretical icon used by all of the Traitor Legions.
Emperor's Children - Sources: Angel Exterminatus, Chs. 16, 21 (Novel) by Graham McNeillBlack Crusade - The Tome of Excess (RPG), pp. 16, 22, 25-26, 28-29Codex: Chaos Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 9, 13, 22, 47, 62-63Codex: Chaos Space Marines (4th Edition), pp. 12-13, 22, 47, 52-54, 73Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex), pp. 29, 39, 56-57Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition, 1st Codex), pp. 17, 27, 31Codex: Chaos (2nd Edition), pp. 15-16, 32, 44, 93, 102-104Codex Heretic Astartes - Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 47-49Codex Heretic Astartes - Chaos Space Marines (8th Edition) (Revised Codex), pp. 47-49Traitor Legions - A Codex: Chaos Space Marines Supplement, (7th Edition) (Digital Edition), pg. 123Deathwatch: First Founding (RPG), pp. 79-80Psychic Awakening - Faith & Fury (8th Edition), pp. 84-89Horus Heresy: Collected VisionsIndex Astartes I, "Children of the Emperor - The Emperor's Children Space Marine Legion"Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness, pg. 263The Horus Heresy Book One: Betrayal (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 102-119, 256-261The Horus Heresy Book Six: Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 30, 38-44, 233White Dwarf 291 (US), "Innocence Lost: John Thompson's Emperor's Children"White Dwarf 255 (US), "Index Astartes - First Founding: Children of the Emperor"White Dwarf 150 (US), "'Eavy Metal: Epic Daemons - Fulgrim: Primarch of Slaanesh", pp. 68-69False Gods (Novel) by Graham McNeillGalaxy in Flames (Novel) by Ben CounterThe Flight of the Eisenstein (Novel) by James SwallowFulgrim (Novel) by Graham McNeillA Thousand Sons (Novel) by Graham McNeillThe First Heretic (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenProspero Burns (Novel) by Dan AbnettAurelian (Novella) by Aaron Dembski-BowdenThe Primarchs (Anthology), "The Reflection Crack'd" by Graham McNeillFabius Bile: Primogenitor (Novel) by Josh ReynoldsFear to Tread (Novel) by James SwallowSons of Dorn (Novel) by Chris RobersonAngel Exterminatus (Novel) by Graham McNeillThe Damnation of Pythos (Novel) by David Annandale, pg. 97Imperfect (Short Story) by Nick KymeChirurgeon (Shorty Story) by Nick KymeVengeful Spirit (Novel) by Graham McNeillThe Path of Heaven (Novel) by Chris Wraight, pp. 17-30, 57Lucius: The Faultless Blade (Novel) by Ian St. Martin, Ch. I.VAbaddon: The Talon of Horus (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Chs. 18-19Fulgrim: The Palatine Phoenix (Novel) by Josh Reynolds, Ch. 2Shroud of Night (Novel) by Andy ClarkLeman Russ: The Great Wolf (Novel) by Chris Wraight, Ch. VI
Emperor's Claws - Emperor's Claws: The Emperor's Claws is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. It possesses Primaris Space Marines within its ranks.
Emperor's Claws - Notable Emperor's Claws: Chapter Master Laethos Akare - Laethos Akare is the current Chapter Master of the Emperor's Claws.Sergeant Gadiel - Gadiel is a Primaris Space Marine and the Sergeant of a Hellblaster squad.Brother Sigaf - Sigaf is a Dreadnought of the Emperor's Claws.
Emperor's Claws - Chapter Colours: The Emperor's Claws' Chapter colours are not listed in current Imperial records.
Emperor's Claws - Chapter Badge: The Emperor's Claws' Chapter badge is not listed in current Imperial records.
Emperor's Gaze - Emperor's Gaze: The Emperor's Gaze is an Imperial diplomatic vessel that was lost in the early days of the Achilus Crusade in the Jericho Reach. Indeed, it became subsumed by the space hulk Mortis Thule, yet somehow survived impact with that dreaded vessel, along with its crew.
Emperor's Gaze - History: The vast mass of Mortis Thule is made up of starships of all types, as well as spaceborne rock and other debris. It has long been noted that much of the wreckage of which the space hulk is composed is destroyed beyond any hope of the crew having survived the calamitous accidents that drew their vessel to its doom.Very occasionally, however, a voidship caught up in the draw of the Mortis Thule survives the impact and melds into the hulk in such a state that many of its crew do too. Such was the rare example set by the Emperor's Gaze.The ship was struck off of the crusade's fleet registry when it was determined that it had somehow become lost in the Warp.Near the end of the 41st Millennium, however, doubts as to the ultimate fate of the Emperor's Gaze began to emerge, many of them voiced by the extended kin of the Navigator that was guiding the vessel through the Warp at the time of its loss.In short, the Navigator's peers assert that had the soul of one of their own been claimed by the denizens of the Sea of Souls, then every other Navigator within a hundred light years would instantly have known of it and shared a portion of his torment.After decades of searching, the Navigator's family have come to believe that that vessel must still be adrift somewhere within the Jericho Reach, though beyond this they have no solid theories.
Emperor's Hands - Emperor's Hands: The Emperor's Hands is a Loyalist, Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin. The Emperor's Hands' homeworld is the planet Paragon. Almost nothing else is known about them in current Imperial records.
Emperor's Hands - Chapter Colours: The Emperor's Hands primarily wear dark blue Power Armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate is silver. Both gauntlets are white. The right shoulder plate bears a white squad specialty symbol: Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran. A Gothic numeral centred upon the squad specialty symbol, indicates squad number. The colour of the Gothic numeral on the squad specialty symbol indicates company number in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), Green (4th Company), etc.
Emperor's Hands - Chapter Badge: The Emperor's Hands' Chapter badge is a stylised, armoured, white hand that is held up in a "halt" gesture, on a field of dark blue.
Emperor's Hands - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 37Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 30How to Paint Space Marines (2004), pg. 88
Emperor's Hawks - Emperor's Hawks: The Emperor's Hawks is a Loyalist, Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marines Chapter of unknown origin and Founding date.The Chapter specialises in Jump Pack-assisted assaults, followed by squadron-strength attacks by highly-mobile units of Land Speeders.
Emperor's Hawks - Chapter Colours: The Emperor's Hawks primarily wear red power armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate, as well as the shoulder pauldron trim, are yellow.The right knee plate bears a white squad specialty symbol -- battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command.A black High Gothic numeral is centred upon the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number. The white High Gothic numeral on the left knee designates company number.
Emperor's Hawks - Chapter Badge: The Emperor's Hawks' Chapter badge is a single stylised, white hawk's wing, on a field of red.This symbol is used on both the right and left shoulder plates.
Emperor's Hawks - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 38Insignium Astartes, pg. 60Crucible of Worlds (Anthology) edited by Christian Dunn and Marc Gascoigne (Cover Illustration)
Emperor's Peace - Emperor's Peace: The term Emperor's Peace, Emperor's Grace or Emperor's Mercy is the euphemism for euthanasia in Imperial Low Gothic. It is a bastardisation of the High Gothic term Finis Rerum, that translates to "final thing" or "final service." It refers to the sacred task the Apothecaries of Space Marine Chapters are honour-bound to deliver to a mortally wounded battle-brother on the brink of death, namely a swift and merciful ending of his suffering.After the coup-de-grâce has been delivered, the Apothecary removes the battle-brother's Progenoid Glands so that he can make his sacred contribution to the continuation of the Chapter. It is from this action that the term Finis Rerum is derived, for the last service a dying Space Marine performs for his Chapter is to ensure its continued future thanks to the precious genetic material he carries within his two Progenoid Glands.Over time, the term has passed into common Low Gothic usage, where it now refers to any necessary euthanasia of a loyal servant of the Emperor of Mankind, for any reason.
Emperor's Peace - Final Service: The genetically enhanced body of a transhuman Astartes is a marvel of resilience and healing capability, but it has limits, and some wounds are simply too terrible for a Space Marine to survive. When a Space Marine's wounds are beyond the Apothecary's skill to heal, he will speak a few words of comfort to his dying brother before delivering a merciful coup-de-grâce that will end his suffering.There are multiple ways for the Apothecary to do this; the two most often applied are either a violent removal of the affected Space Marine's Progenoid Glands, which destroys both his hearts and lungs in the process; or the use of a euthanasia tool known as a Reductor. This wrist-mounted device that is part of an Apothecary's Narthecium incorporates a powerful spring-loaded piston, which is applied to the wounded Astartes' temple and depressed, caving his head in and causing massive damage to his brain. In both cases, death is almost instantaneous and causes no further suffering to the dying Space Marine.Apothecaries always administer the Emperor's Peace with a heavy heart, but accept that the harvest of the Space Marine's vital gene-seed will ensure that the dead Marine's legacy lives on through the future of the Chapter.
Emperor's Scythes - Emperor's Scythes: The Emperor's Scythes is a Loyalist, Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marines Chapter of unknown origin and Founding date. Almost nothing else is known about this Chapter in current Imperial records.
Emperor's Scythes - Chapter Colours: The Emperor's Scythes primarily wear purple Power Armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate is yellow. The right shoulder plate bears a white squad specialty symbol: Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran. A white Roman numeral is painted on the inside edge of the shoulder plate, next to the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number. The colour of both knee guards indicates company number in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. White (1st Company), Yellow (2nd Company), Red (3rd Company), Green (4th Company), etc.
Emperor's Scythes - Chapter Badge: The Emperor's Scythes' Chapter badge is a pair of crossed white scythes, with the blades elevated and pointing towards one another, centred on a field of purple. In the middle of the scythes is a white Imperial Aquila. The Scythes and Aquila symbolise the Chapter's name.
Emperor's Scythes - Sources: Adeptus Astartes: Successor Chapters (Limited Release Booklet), pg. 38
Emperor's Shadows - Emperor's Shadows: The Emperor's Shadows is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of unknown Founding and origin.
Emperor's Shadows - Chapter Colours: The Emperor's Shadows' power armour colour scheme is loosely based off of that of the Black Templars, with contrasting details in red and turquoise.Many Chapter historical references are subtly incorporated into the Chapter's squad iconography which allude to the ancient Japanese samurai.
Emperor's Shadows - Chapter Badge: The Emperor's Shadows' Chapter badge is stenciled onto a white leather papyrus material -- a black bonsai tree silhouette with a red rising sun behind it, surrounded by Japanese Kanji characters. This leather is strapped over a field of turquoise, secured by small cords.
Emperor's Shadows - Trivia: The Emperor's Shadows were originally created by Victoria Lamb using the colour scheme of the Black Templars as a starting point for the "Creating a Chapter" article in White Dwarf 299.
Emperor's Shadows - Sources: How to Paint Space Marines (2004), pg. 97 (inside back cover) [created by Victoria Lamb]White Dwarf 299 (UK), "Creating a Chapter," pg. 77
Emperor's Shields - Emperor's Shields: The Emperor's Shields is a Loyalist, Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter of unknown genetic origin and Founding date.
Emperor's Shields - Chapter Colours: The Emperor's Shields wear a halved-livery: light green on the right side and yellow on the left side of their power armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest plate as well as the power pack are black. The right shoulder plate bears a black squad tactical specialty symbol: battleline, close support, fire support, Veteran or command.A white High Gothic numeral is centred on the squad specialty symbol, indicating squad number.Most unusually, this Chapter uses the colour of its helms to denote company number in accordance with the Codex Astartes -- i.e. white (1st Company), yellow (2nd Company), red (3rd Company), green (4th Company), etc.
Emperor's Shields - Chapter Badge: The Emperor's Shields' Chapter badge consist of an ebon livery shield, with a large red skull centred upon it, on a field of yellow.
Emperor's Spears - Emperor's Spears: The Emperor's Spears is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and successor of the Ultramarines. The Chapter was created during the 25th Founding in the latter half of the 40th Millennium, the so-called "Bastion Founding." The Emperor's Spears hail from the feral Ocean World of Nemeton.The Emperor's Spears was one of three Chapters, including the Celestial Lions and the Star Scorpions, that once made up the Adeptus Vaelarii, better known as the Sentinels of the Veil. These Astartes guardians once stood watch over the twenty Imperial worlds located in the backwater region of the galaxy's Ultima Segmentum called Elara's Veil on the very edge of the intergalactic Outer Dark.Despite its distance from the heart of the Imperium, the Emperor's Spears received the technology and knowledge of how to create Primaris Space Marines or transform Firstborn Marines into Primaris Marines by crossing the Rubicon Primaris from an Imperial Torchbearers task force.Due to separate tragedies suffered by their fellow Chapters among the Sentinels of the Veil, only the Emperor's Spears remain as the stalwart protectors of the scattered worlds of this region from the horrors of the Outer Dark.Only time will tell if this Chapter will be able to maintain its vigil successfully, for it is a depleted force on the Imperium's benighted frontier.
Emperor's Spears - Origins: While records on the origins of the Emperor's Spears are scarce, the first recorded encounter with the Chapter came in 594.M40, suggesting they have been defending the Imperium for perhaps a standard millennium and a half, making them relatively young by the standards of Space Marine Chapters.Upon their inception, they were charged with standing sentinel over the scattered worlds of the Elara's Veil region of Ultima Segmentum, ever watchful for insurrection and rebellion, as well as external threats. This backwater sector of the galaxy was once protected by the oath of unity sworn by three mighty Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes called the Adeptus Vaelarii -- the Star Scorpions, who were undone by flaws in their genetic coding; the Celestial Lions, who were ravaged by the Inquisition for sins they did not commit, and the Emperor's Spears. Now, after hundreds of standard years, the Emperor's Spears are the only ones to still keep their vigil. They are barbarian watchmen against the Outer Dark; bloodied but unbroken in their long duty.Even in their relatively short history, the Emperor's Spears have clashed with their fellow Space Marines, notably the Aurora Chapter during the Eukari Insurrection. So ruinous was the conflict between the Chapters that the Ultramarines sent representatives to quell the unrest, ruling that the Emperor's Spears had acted rashly and were to blame for the blows that were exchanged.It is only in recent years that High King Arucatas the Swordbearer has eased the tensions that ensued between the Chapter and the other descendants of the XIII Legion of old. No records exist of the Emperor's Spears and Aurora Chapter fighting alongside one another in the seven Terran centuries since the incident.
Emperor's Spears - Era Indomitus: Since the opening of the Great Rift at the dawn of the Era Indomitus, the Emperor's Spears have been beset by new dangers. The Rift is visible from Nemeton, and its baleful influence has been felt across the Elara's Veil region. Hard-pressed by constant war and isolation following the loss of their fellow Chapters of the Adeptus Vaelarii, the Emperor's Spears now stand upon the brink of destruction, and it remains to be seen how its future will unfold...