Emperor's Children - Specialist Ranks and Formations: Alongside the division of units commonly found within other Space Marine Legions, the emphasis and regard placed upon skill and excellence also notably led to the formation of a wide number of unique "elite" or Veteran units within the Emperor's Children Legion.Sun-Killers - The Sun-Killers were a specialist formation of the Emperor's Children Legion that were all equipped with Lascannons to provide dedicated heavy fire support for other units. They were formed from the creme of the Legion's heavy weapons specialists.Wings of the Phoenician - The Wings of the Phoenician were elite companies of the IIIrd Legion whose Astartes were specially chosen by Fulgrim to be trained in Jump Pack-assisted close combat assault tactics. The officer who led the Wings of the Phoenician was known as the "Eagle King."Phoenix Guard - The Phoenix Guard was the elite unit of Space Marines from the Emperor's Children Legion who served as Primarch Fulgrim's honour guard during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. The number of Phoenix Guard always stood at 200 warriors to commemorate the first days of the IIIrd Legion's rebirth after Fulgrim was reunited with his gene-sons when the Emperor's Children had numbered only 200 remaining Astartes. The members of the Phoenix Guard followed their beloved Phoenician wherever he went as part of their duties, even when he was travelling within the relative safety of the starships of the Imperial Army and the vessels of the other Space Marine Legions. During the battle to conquer the Xenos World of Laeran, the Phoenix Guard took part in the final extermination of the serpentine Laer species. The entire unit was slain on the world of Tarsus in the Perdus Region of the galaxy after Fulgrim, already under the influence of Chaos through the Laer Daemonsword he had captured on Laeran, took offence at the Eldar Farseer Eldrad Ulthran's warning about Horus' corruption by Chaos, and proceeded to open fire on the Farseer and his troops from Craftworld Ulthwe. A new Phoenix Guard was then recruited and accompanied Fulgrim during both his fateful meeting with Horus where he finally embraced Chaos and in his abortive attempt to recruit Ferrus Manus to the Traitors' cause aboard Ferrus' own flagship where they successfully slaughtered the Morlock Terminators who served as Ferrus' own bodyguard unit. While the Phoenix Guard served Fulgrim through the Battle of Terra, it is unknown if the unit still exists and serves as the Daemon Prince's bodyguard on the unknown Daemon World he now calls home.Brotherhoods of the Palatine Blades - Perhaps the most famous example of Emperor's Children specialist troops whose renown spread outside their own Legion were the Brotherhoods of the Palatine Blades. These units were not permanent formations, but were formed for particular battles against foes deemed worthy, and whose membership existed outside of the usual rigid rank structure that characterised the IIIrd Legion. When such an enemy was encountered the senior commanders would draw together the finest swordsmen from amongst the forces present, a selection made easier by the relentless sparring and duelling that took place between battles to hone the Legion's skills. Armed with duelling blades, sabres and trophy weapons, the Brotherhoods would then seek out the finest warriors amongst the enemy on the field of battle. The number and quality of such squads depended on how many of the Emperor's Children were present in a given warzone and the quality of their foe. When twenty millennials of the Legion came together under Fulgrim to destroy the Golden Kings of the Moraeb Drifts, over a hundred of the Palatine Blades Brotherhood took to the field. Amongst them were warriors who had already writ a legend among their Legion; Lucius, Akurduana, Irmandus and Fulgrim himself led them against the bodyguards of the Heretek kings.Kakophoni - The Kakophoni (lit. "Cachophony" when translated into Low Gothic) were a specialised anomalous support unit created during the closing days of the Great Crusade by Chief Apothecary Fabius who sought to "perfect" the gene-seed of the Astartes by unlocking the secrets of the Emperor's original genetic engineering and then "improving" upon it through the use of forbidden Chaos knowledge. Enhanced with these forbidden surgical augments and formidable psycho-sonic weaponry, which was based in part on xenos designs pioneered by the serpentine Laer, the Kakophoni were first unleashed against the Loyalist forces of the Imperium during the Isstvan III Atrocity and the Drop Site Massacre on Isstvan V. The Kakophoni represented what were in essence the first Noise Marines.Roaring Blades - Long ago, during the era of the Great Crusade, the "Righteous Blades" were one of the most decorated and respected infantry units in the Imperial Army. Vassals of Fulgrim, the Righteous Blades provided mortal infantry support for the IIIrd Legion. The Righteous Blades fought on countless worlds in the name of the Emperor, and won several victories. But when the Emperor's Children turned Traitor and joined the Warmaster Horus in dedicating themselves to the Dark Gods of Chaos, the Righteous Blades followed suit. The Imperium lost a proud band of soldiers that day, but the Righteous Blades lost their souls, becoming pleasure-addicted acolytes of Slaanesh like their Astartes masters. These Emperor-forsaken Heretics then became forever after known as the "Roaring Blades."