PART 2

THE III ‘EMPEROR’S CHILDREN’ LEGION

Historical records concerning the role of Fulgrim and the III ‘Emperor’s Children’ Legion are amongst the most contradictory of all official accounts. Although they clearly emerged from the Istvaan System as traitors, their initial roles are clouded with conflicting records. Amongst the earliest accounts there are only vague references, but then more detail emerged claiming the Legion was listed amongst the seven that comprised the reprisal fleet sent to the Istvaan System to eliminate Horus and his renegades.

Fulgrim, 2007, by Graham McNeill 

According to those sources, the III ‘Emperor’s Children’ Legion were the first of the seven Legions to arrive, and it was there that Fulgrim was corrupted, and then his entire Legion. Official accounts that emerged a few years after this claimed that the Legion was not part of the reprisal fleet at all, but had already been present in the System as the treachery on Istvaan III unfolded. When the Istvaan System had declared their independence, Horus had ordered the III ‘Emperor’s Children’ and XIV ‘Death Guard’ Legion to restore Compliance.

The Istvaan System had initially been conquered by the XIX ‘Raven Guard’ Legion in 994M30, and while these Legions restored Compliance, Warmaster Horus arrived with his XVI ‘Sons of Horus’ Legion, accompanied by Angron with his XII ‘World Eaters’ Legion. It was clearly massive overkill for four Legions to pacify the rebel forces in the Istvaan System, but the action would have been considered a calculated show of force to discourage other populations throughout the galaxy from breaking away from the Imperium.

A terrible accident at the inception of the Emperor’s Children had almost destroyed them, but Fulgrim and his Legion had risen, phoenix-like, from the disaster with greater resolve and strength. In the process Fulgrim had earned the affectionate sobriquet of ‘the Phoenician’. During this time, while Fulgrim rebuilt his shattered Legion, he and his few warriors had fought alongside the Lunar Wolves for almost a century. The Horus Heresy, volume V, Fulgrim, p26-7

What followed revealed treachery on an unprecedented scale, and more recent official accounts of the history of the III ‘Emperor’s Children’ Legion indicates that their corruption began long before Istvaan. Although many agree that the Laeran campaign was the tipping point, others point to the character flaws within Fulgrim and his Legion, suggesting their ultimate fall from grace began there, long before Laeran.

The III ‘Emperor’s Children’ Legion suffered from genetic instability problems from their very inception, and even when Fulgrim was discovered and reunited with the Emperor the Legion continued to serve alongside the XVI ‘Lunar Wolves’ Legion until around the same time as the Istvaan System was first brought to Compliance. Laeran was only the third Compliance undertaken by the III Legion as an independent expeditionary force.

As a result, Fulgrim spent a lot of time with Horus and the other Legions until their Primarchs were found and given command of their own Legions, the friendship between Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus and Fulgrim’s efforts to provide Konrad Curze with guidance being two of the most influential. But a closer look at those relationships and actions of Fulgrim demonstrate a sinister motive behind each encounter that predates his corruption by the Chaos powers, and a particularly vindictive, jealous and narcissistic personality. 

Nowhere is this more evident than in his efforts to turn his brother Primarchs against Rogal Dorn. In the wake of the campaign against the Badoon, Fulgrim deliberately provoked a situation that would fuel the jealousy of Perturabo by asking a question that he suspected Dorn would answer in a manner that enraged their brother. It was the last time Dorn and Perturabo would ever serve in a campaign together, the former being by the side of the Emperor, and the later serving with the Warmaster from that time onward.

In a subsequent incident, around 984M30, Fulgrim created a situation that would lead to a confrontation between Rogal Dorn and Konrad Curze. As a result of his manipulation, Curze attacked Dorn and was confined until the Primarchs could decide what should be done. Curze killed his guards and fled into the eastern fringes, destroying his adopted home world in his insanity and corrupting elements of his Legion in the process.

With his Primarchs and Space Marines executing the Great Crusade, the Emperor returned to Terra, intent on trengthening the Imperium which his forces were building. Most knew that his place was at the heart of his Imperium, but one man disagreed: Warmaster Horus, master of the now re-named Sons of Horus Space Marine Legion, mightiest of the Primarchs. In his arrogance, Horus believed the Emperor to be weak, a man unworthy of the battles ought in his name. Upon hearing evidence of Horus's betrayal, the Emperor sent seven entire Legions of Space Marines to challenge the Warmaster, if necessary to destroy him. The Emperor's Children were the first to arrive in the Istvaan system, where Horus waited, and Fulgrim met Horus in person to demand he account for his actions. Instead, Horus succeeded in corrupting his brother Primarch to the powers that now held sway over him. The Council of Charon, formed after the Horus Heresy to discover the causes of the traitor Primarch's betrayals, concluded that Fulgrim's respect for Horus allowed the Warmaster to influence him, weakening him enough for Chaos to lure him away from the Emperor. Slowly, as he and Horus talked, Fulgrim's loyalty to Terra crumbled, replaced by a burning desire to destroy the false Emperor, whose rule held back Humanity from the perfection Fulgrim had always believed it capable of. Seduced by Horus's words, Fulgrim turned to the promise of a new Humanity, a Humanity that would rise to the peak of civilisation, a Humanity free of the oppressive rule of the false Emperor. Slaanesh whispered to Fulgrim, promising perfection in all things, and Fulgrim gave himself willingly to his new god. As Fulgrim turned, so too did his Lord Commanders. They knew their Primarch to be the embodiment of perfection, and needed little convincing to follow him into Slaanesh's service. Returning to their Legion, Fulgrim and his Lord Commanders met with their captains, preaching to them the glory of Chaos. The captains in turn passed the worship of Slaanesh to their subordinates, and so on until the entire Legion had forsaken the Emperor. Denouncing the teachings of their former idol, they turned wholeheartedly to Slaanesh, giving the Prince of Chaos the same measure of devotion they had once shown to the Emperor. Slaanesh, in turn, bestowed visions of paradise on the Emperor's Children, a galaxy of ultimate freedom, where no evil was possible because every experience was a source of pleasure. The Legion's Chaplains exhorted their brothers to pursue this dream, to savour every sensation. The perfection of the Emperor's Children became perfect hedonism, limitless in its scope, unstoppable in its fury. When loyal Space Marines arrived on Istvaan V, the Emperor's Children were first among the traitors who stood against them, aiding in the massacre of the loyal Legions with gleeful savagery.  Children of the Emperor: The Emperor's Children Space Marine Legion, Index Astartes I, 2002 Children of the Emperor: The Emperor's Children Space Marine Legion, White Dwarf, volume 255

Fulgrim’s motives were unclear, each incident appearing nothing more than a simple misunderstanding rather than a deliberate act designed to cause antagonism, but given the final outcome that led to the treachery of the III ‘Emperor’s Children’ Legion and their Primarch, everything that happened before suggests something far more sinister. Fulgrim’s personality, it would seem, was an easy target for the Chaos powers, and for all the talk of perfection, he and his Legion were far from it, over-compensating for their genetic failures.

Rogal Dorn nodded. He gazed out through the armoured glass wall at the scintillating expanse of the starfield. “You know that I’ve had my eye on you? That I spoke in support of your election?” The Horus Heresy, volume I, Horus Rising, p135

In addition to the suspicious behaviours of Fulgrim, there is one other glaring anomaly within the most recent additions to the official history of the final stages of the Great Crusade and what is known as the Horus Heresy. The references to Rogal Dorn in Horus Rising, the first volume of The Horus Heresy series, are at odds with the records in The Flight of the Eisenstein, the fourth volume of The Horus Heresy series.

Rogal Dorn clearly has no memory of the incident, and does not know who Gavriel Loken is, which would undermine any thought that he had been watching Loken or would recommend him for a role in the Mournival. And yet the author also recorded Kyril Sindermann referring to Dorn prior to Loken speaking with that Primarch. It can only be concluded that one of those sources is incorrect.

The Legion's early actions were extremely successful; while the Great Crusade pushed forward, the Imperial Fists acted as the strategic reserve of the Emperor's forces. Able to deploy quickly and reliably where and when required, the Imperial Fists struck the decisive blow in many battles. Their detailed planning made them especially efficient at sieges and their resolute endurance made them superb city fighters. They remained the Emperor's Praetorians throughout the campaign and of a million worlds, the Emperor took Rogal Dorn with him. Dorn was charged with the task of fortifying the Imperial Palace, an honour that did not go unnoticed by the other Primarchs.    In all this time Rogal Dorn had sought no favour and exemplified the qualities of truth, courage and humility more than any other Primarch. Although some of the other Primarchs resented his closeness to the Emperor, most held him in high esteem. On Macragge, home of the Ultramarines, Dorn's statue is one of the four Primarchs that stand alongside Guilliman's in their Hall of Heroes. Jaghatai Khan is shown gifting Dorn with a dozen of his finest stallions as a gesture of eternal brotherhood shortly after the defeat of Horus in the illuminated preface of the Apocrypha of Skaros. Dorn's rivalry with Perturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors, was the most marked exception. One of Dorn's qualities was that he always, without fail, told the truth. On Schravann, the Iron Warriors won a great victory when they stormed the final refuge of the Badoon. They breached the defences and held while the other Legions carried the city beyond. During the victory feast, Horus proclaimed Perturabo the greatest master of siege warfare in the Crusade. Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children then asked Dorn whether he thought even the defences of the Imperial Palace could resist the Iron Warriors. Dorn considered carefully and then said that he regarded the defences as being proof against any assault if well-manned. Perturabo flew into a rage and unleashed a torrent of vitriol at Dorn, accusations so unfounded that the onlookers were dumbstruck. After this the two rarely spoke, neither Legion serving in the same campaign again. The Imperial Fists were ever at the Emperor's side and the Iron Warriors were part of Horus' vanguard. Emperor’s Fist: The Imperial Fists Space Marine Chapter, Index Astartes II, 2003 Emperor’s Fist: The Imperial Fists Space Marine Chapter, White Dwarf, volume 259

Given most of the official records claim Rogal Dorn returned to Terra with the Emperor following the Ullanor campaign, to begin the process of fortifying the Imperial Palace and overseeing the security of the Solar System. Dorn and Horus had not spent much time together since the incident during the victory feast after the Badoon had been defeated. It seems highly unlikely Dorn would even be aware of Gavriel Loken in any capacity other than general knowledge.

“Loken,” said Sigismund, “My Lord, I know him. We met aboard the Vengeful Spirit.” Dorn glanced aside. “What was your measure of him, First captain?” “A Cathonian, and all that entails, with a strong spirit if a little naïve. He seemed trustworthy, a man of principles.” The Primarch absorbed this. “Continue, Garro.” The Horus Heresy, volume IV, The Flight of the Eisenstein, p334

And yet, the account recorded in Horus Rising quite clearly indicates that Dorn was there, despite the fact that the account in The Flight of the Eisenstein adamantly refutes the possibility that he knew of, let alone spoke to, Loken. There is, however, a possible explanation for the anomaly. There is mention that Fulgrim was expected to arrive at around the time Dorn allegedly spoke with Horus and the Loken, and it had been noted on several occasions how regular people were rendered insensible in the presence of Primarchs.

It is very likely that it was not Dorn who spoke with Loken, but Fulgrim. The author may simply have recorded the arrival of Fulgrim and meeting with Horus out of order and then mistaken Fulgrim for Dorn. Fulgrim, after all, had spent far more time with the Lunar Wolves than Dorn, and would have been well acquainted with those who served in the Lunar Wolves.

“Qruze is a sycophant. He would say yes to anything if it meant he’d stray in favour. The Mournival needs a proper, dissenting opinion.” “A naysmith,” Loken said. The Horus Heresy, volume I, Horus Rising, p135

There are two more supporting points that suggest it was actually Fulgrim who spoke with Loken, and not Dorn. During the conversation, ‘Dorn’ refers to Qruze of the Lunar Wolves as a sycophant. During the conversation between Dorn and Captain Garro of the Death Guard, following the betrayal on Istvaan III, Qruze insists Dorn listen to Garro. If Dorn considered Qruze a sycophant, he would have found it odd that the man spoke in such a manner, his attitude opposing Horus rather than denying the accusations with mindless support.

“You must,” Qruze blurted, taking a half-step forward. He ignored the ratcheting of slides on the bolters of Sigismund’s men. “You must hear him out!” “You dare give me an order?” Dorn faced the old warrior. “A relic who should have been retired centuries ago, you dare to do so?” The Horus Heresy, volume IV, The Flight of the Eisenstein, p333

Then again, it may well be that the entire incident between Dorn and Garro was recorded inaccurately given the glaring error in the intimidating and insulting reprimand Dorn unleashed on Qruze. The Great Crusade had only been waged for two-hundred-and-eight years, and yet the comment suggested that Qruze had been is service for that entire time or even longer. Indeed, the insult implied Qruze should have been retired before his inception. And it’s not the only reference to this otherwise unrecorded historical possibility.

Outwardly, he maintained a steady countenance, but inwardly the Blood Angel was on edge. Any one of the warriors within this room had the power of an entire battle company at their fingertips; they were legendary figures with honour rolls that spanned hundreds of years of warfare – and he was no more than a legionary of the line, a lowly tactical squad medicae.   The Horus Heresy, volume XXI, Fear to Tread, p240

The very idea that some Space Marines were hundreds of years old at the time the Great Crusade ended and the Horus Heresy began is intriguing. It raises questions about the Unification Wars. There is a very real possibility that some of the Space Marines were, at least initially, Thunder Warriors. In any case, errors of this nature in official records make it incredibly difficult to verify facts.

Many Blood Angels went for centuries without ever having such an opportunity.  The Horus Heresy, volume XXI, Fear to Tread, p376

PART 1

PART 3