Emperor's Children
Allegiance
traitor
Pre-Heresy Ranks
- Legionary / Veteran
- Sergeant
- Centurion
- Captain (for example First Captain Julius Kaesoron)
- Praetor
- Legion Master / Lord Commander
- Apothecary
- Techmarine
- Librarian
- Chaplain
- Master of the Signal
- Champion
- elites such as Phoenix Guard, Palatine Blades, Sun Killers, Kakophoni, Wings of the Phoenician.
Post-Heresy Ranks
- Chaos Space Marine
- Noise Marine / Kakophonist
- squad champion
- Terminator veteran
- Flawless Blade
- Chaos Lord
- Lord Exultant
- Lord Kakophonist
- Sorcerer
- Daemon Prince of Slaanesh
- Warpsmith
- generic Exalted Champions and Dark Apostles in mixed forces.
Companies & Units
- Grand Companies and companies
- named elite formations such as Wings of the Phoenician, Phoenix Guard Millennial, Palatine Blades brotherhoods
- specialist squads like Sun Killers, Kakophoni and Terata
- post-Heresy mainly loose warbands around individual Chaos Lords.
Homeworld(s)
Chemos, originally a barren mining world, later transformed by Fulgrim into a heavily industrialised civilised world with a fortress‑monastery near Callax; rendered a dead world by Exterminatus during the Scouring. Today the Legion operates from Daemon Worlds in the Eye of Terror (notably Harmony and Fulgrim’s personal Slaaneshi realm) and from scattered warband enclaves such as the Pale Stars.
Combat Doctrine(s)
- Pre‑Heresy a highly disciplined combined‑arms Legion focused on flawless execution, mobile manoeuvre warfare and precise shock assaults. After falling to Slaanesh they shift to sonic and torture weaponry, terror, excessive close combat and raiding‑style warfare where the ‘aesthetic’ of violence becomes central.
Epochs & Role
In the Great Crusade they rise to become a showpiece Legion with the right to bear the Palatine Aquila; the Cleansing of Laeran marks the start of their corruption. In the Heresy they play a key role at Isstvan V, where Fulgrim kills Ferrus Manus, and commit infamous atrocities during the Siege of Terra. After the Scouring they retreat into the Eye of Terror, fight internal Legion wars over slaves and resources and eventually fracture into many warbands centred on Harmony. In M41/M42 the Emperor’s Children function as a Slaaneshi daemon legion expressed through numerous warbands (Phoenix Conclave, Lucius’ and Fabius Bile’s followings, etc.).
Successor Chapters / Warbands (Overview)
- The Emperor’s Children Chaos Legion with focal alliances such as the Phoenix Conclave under Eidolon on Harmony
- warbands like the Faultless under Lucius the Eternal
- numerous smaller Slaaneshi warbands and Fabius Bile’s followings, all ultimately derived from the III Legion. (No loyalist successor Chapters are canonically confirmed.)