Cool background for Loyalist Emperors Children.

Index Astartes: Emperors Children


Following the Horus Heresy it was widely believed that the whole Emperors Children Legion had turned to Chaos. However recently during battles for the Cadian Gate many Imperial Personnel saw Space Marines that appeared to be fighting in the colours of the original Emperors Children Legion. The Inquisition have now after 10,000 years released information on the Emperors Children, revealing that not all turned to Horus�

The Horus Heresy

Following battles in the Strava System the Emperors Children received orders to join a battle group redeploying to the Istvaan System. The Strava System had not yet been fully subjugated, and so the Battle Company under the command of Lord Commander Erdolan was ordered by Fulgrim to stay behind and finish the conquest, and then deploy to Istvaan to join the rest of the Legion.
Erdolan�s force soon finished off the defenders of Strava and was preparing to move his forces to Istvaan, when he received a message from the accompanying Imperial Army units ordering them to Holy Terra in order to stop an apparent treachery by Warmaster Horus. Erdolan could not believe that the Warmaster could have betrayed the Emperor, however since the orders originated from Terra itself he complied and set a course for the heart of the Imperium.

By the time Erdolan�s force had arrived in the Sol System they were too late. The first sight greeting Erdolan�s Emperors Children was the blasted hulks of ships belonging to Battlefleet Terra and the corrupted remains of ships belonging to Horus� forces.
The second sight was the ships of the Imperial Fists and Ultramarines Legions firing shots at them and ordering them to stand down and prepare to be boarded. Erdolan demanded to know what was happening and was met by Rogal Dorn stating that the Emperors Children had betrayed the Imperium and that Erdolan and his forces would be destroyed as Heretics unless they complied. Erdolan protested his troops innocence and demanded to see evidence of his Legion�s betrayal. Dorn sent Pict Recordings to Erdolan�s ship showing the Emperors Children slaughtering civilians and showing the corrupted influence of Chaos upon them. Witnesses say that Erdolan and many of the bridge crew wept as they watched these images, how could their once perfect Legion descend to such barbarity?

Erdolan again protested that his Space Marines were innocent of the crimes of the rest of his Legion and were still loyal to the Emperor. Dorn was still hostile, as was Leman Russ and Lion El Johnson, who had joined up with the rest of the Space Marines on Terra, however Robute Guilliman and Jaghati Khan were willing to give Erdolan the benefit of the doubt, especially seeing that the Imperium had a desperate need for warriors A compromise was reached and Erdolan was tested for heresy by the most powerful Librarians of the Imperial Fists, Ultramarines and Dark Angels, and also by some of the strongest psykers of the newly formed Inquisition. Eventually it was decided that Erdolan and his men were free from Heresy and were still loyal to the Emperor. Rogal Dorn was, however, still sceptical and assigned the Inquisition and the Grey Knights to keep a close watch on Erdolan�s forces.

Reformation

Following his testing Erdolan spent a month within the Sanctum Imperialis praying to the Emperor for the souls of his ex-brethren and reaffirming his loyalty. After emerging from prayer he decreed that his Battle Company would embrace Guilliman�s Codex Astartes and would reform as a Space Marine Chapter, retaining the original name and colours of the Emperors Children. When questioned about this Erdolan replied, �We are the Emperors Children, we are loyal and true to the Emperor. Those who betrayed the Emperor have no place among our ranks, and we will right their wrongs and remove their stain on our honour�. In turn the Battle Brothers of the Chapter symbolically removed Fulgrim as their Primarch and elected Erdolan to replace him as Primarch of the Emperors Children.

Immediately after reformation of the Chapter was complete Erdolan set out on a campaign to aid the other Space Marine chapters in securing the Imperium and reclaiming lost worlds from the forces of Chaos and Xenos that had moved in while Imperial Forces were rendered immobile by the Heresy.
In battles against the Traitor Legions it was noticed that the Emperors Children were more aggressive and headstrong when compared to other enemies of the Imperium. In battles against their traitorous brethren all tactical sense and patience was lost and the chapter attacked with a furiosity seldom seen outside the Blood Angels and their successors. It was this that brought about the end of Erdolan.

Erdolan�s campaign eventually led him and his company sized force to the desert world of Muqatil. Erdolan and his men immediately began to aid the defenders of the planet when they discovered the forces of Chaos on the planet. When they were attacked at their base-camp they discovered that the enemy was a warband led by their own former Primarch, Fulgrim, now a champion of Slaanesh. Soon the base was surrounded and Erdolan�s men were under siege. After holding for a month, Fulgrim�s troops charged the base in one last attempt to wipe out the Space Marines. With his men dying all around him, Erdolan and his Terminator bodyguards desperately attempted to hold against the hordes of Chaos cultists and their own twisted brethren. It was then that Fulgrim himself joined the battle, and engaged Erdolan in battle. Fulgrim casually dodged the attacks directed against him and killed the Terminators with ease, whilst taunting Erdolan and trying to turn him to Chaos. Erdolan stood firm in his beliefs and loyalty to the Emperor and he charged at Fulgrim, initiating single combat against the twisted Primarch. Fulgrim, blessed by the Chaos gods, was too great a foe even for Erdolan, and when Erdolan began to tire Fulgrim took advantage and instantly set upon Erdolan. When reinforcements arrived to find the bodies of the slaughtered Emperors Children, Fulgrim�s force was nowhere in sight and the records state that there was little left of Erdolan that resembled the brave commander

Following Erdolan�s death the remaining Emperors Children vowed to remain true to the Codex Astartes and restrain themselves in battles against the Traitor Legions, to not fall victim to them in the same way as Erdolan.

Homeworld

With the destruction of their original Fortress Monastery on Chemos, the Emperors Children chapter have become a space-based chapter. Their Fortress Monastery is based in the Battle Barge Erdolan�s Fury. This is significantly different to a standard Battle Barge, having been built upon and expanded by almost three times its original size. It is now able to carry the whole chapter and its vehicles, and has docking facilities for the ships of the chapter.


Organisation

The Emperors Children have embraced the Codex Astartes and follow most of it unwaveringly. However in order to keep the faith up among the chapter and to steel them against the Traitor Legions the Emperors Children have an increased number of Chaplains compared to other chapters. Many of these Chaplains also take on roles that are normally reserved for senior Marines in the chapter, such as the command of Companies.
Also, following Rogal Dorn�s request to the Inquisition and Grey Knights to keep close watch on the Emperors Children, every Company has an attached Inquisitor and most have a detachment of Grey Knights Space Marines assigned to them.

The Emperors Children prefer to fight their battles alone, unsurprising considering their history. However they have no problem fighting alongside other servants of the Emperor and their closest allies constitute their saviours during the Horus Heresy, the Ultramarines and the White Scars. They have also made bonds with other chapters in the 10,000 years since the Heresy.
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Relations with the Imperial Fists, though better now than at the end of the Heresy are still tense, although Battle Brothers from the two chapters have fought side by side on more than one occasion and many in both chapters recall events when Battle Brothers from the other chapter saved their lives.

Beliefs

The Emperors Children, although not worshipping Fulgrim as their Primarch, still follow his basic tenants of seeking perfection in all that they do. Like their predecessors every Battle Brother spends hours training in his role and honing his skills to perfection.

Following Erdolan�s death there has been an increase in the number of Chaplains in the chapter to keep the faith of the chapter strong and to restrain them when in battle against the Traitor Legions.

Battlecry

�For Erdolan! For the Emperor!�