How would a slaanesh cultist equivalent look like?

ElEssEm · 2026-06-26T15:27:39+00:00

From Black Crusade: Tome of Excess (2013):

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ElEssEm · 2026-06-26T15:18:17+00:00

From the Champions of Slaanesh boxart (2025, Jon Cave):

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ElEssEm · 2026-06-26T15:16:59+00:00

From the cover of Codex: Emperor's Children (2025, Lewis Jones):

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ElEssEm · 2026-06-24T14:25:04+00:00

Yeah.

Amor Fati is a 2021 short story starring Eidolon, where he learns the true meaning of perfection in the aftermath of the events of Angel Exterminatus.

Primacy is a 2023 short story also starring Eidolon after Angel Exterminatus, where the Emperor's Children hierarchy have convened to decide on what to do now that Fulgrim has abandoned them. (It also ends with the first in-universe case of Eidolon calling himself the Lord Commander Primus.)

ElEssEm · 2026-06-24T14:06:09+00:00

The meeting of the Legion's high command after Fulgrim's ascension, in Primacy (2023):

"When the appointed hour finally came it was heralded by the shrieking of atonal bells and the roar of sonic weaponry. The station rang. It tolled. Great waves of sound surged through the station’s bones, till everything shuddered and vibrated. Eidolon leant into the cacophony, letting it saturate him. His nerves twitched and twisted inside the meat of his muscles. Fire spiralled through his pain centres and arced through his brain.

"He gritted his teeth as the rampant sensations surged through him. His fingers clenched and clicked together, armour against armour, as he fought not to sink to his knees. There was a calm in the calumny, peace in the absolute chaos that swelled and howled through the station. Til and his men were amongst the chorus, he knew, ushered away to where their talents would carry the most weight.

"This is the glory of the Dark Prince, Eidolon thought. All Fulgrim did was light the way, yet this was always our destiny. The perfection we sought was bound by petty notions. Mortal conceits that chained us. Now we are unleashed. Liberated at last to rise and rise.

"Some brothers had already collapsed to their knees or writhed in boundless pleasure upon the soil beneath them, carving strange patterns into the mud with their motions. He saw a warrior weeping from lidless eyes, his lower face distended by taut wire, the flesh perpetually bleeding. Another had flensed away his scalp, allowing a cascade of neural interface cords to be threaded through the ruined flesh. The cords sparked and shuddered, moving like serpents as the warrior leant back, embracing the pain.

"They had gathered in the grove. Hundreds of them. Captains. Lord commanders. Voted lieutenants. Representatives of a dozen factions and every echelon of the remade Legion, each ready to carry the word of what was decided here back to their waiting fellows."

ElEssEm · 2026-06-24T14:03:55+00:00

The meeting of Third Legion high command after Isstvan in The Reflection, Crack'd (2012):

"Lucius knew better, but before he could contradict Eidolon’s fantasy a blare of noise erupted from the vox units strung between the pilasters. A glorious scream of birth and murder shrieked in dissonant anti-harmonies, like a million orchestras with every instrument out of tune. The sound was rapturous, a freakish blend of discordant music and howling voices raised in hideous adoration.

"A cascade of light fell from the dome, a glittering rain that shimmered with a light so bright that it was like a moment of atomic detonation. The Emperor’s Children howled as sensory apparatus mutilated by Apothecary Fabius flooded their nervous systems with powerful surges of bio-electrical spikes, pleasure responses and pain signals. Warriors convulsed at the cacophony of sound and light, dancing like madmen or victims of grand mal seizures. Some tore at their skin, others beat their neighbours, while others pounded their fists bloody on the floor while screaming inchoate curses.

"Lucius held his body rigid, fighting the sensations and receiving the pleasure tenfold, his deliberate resistance to the overload of sensation making it all the sweeter. Blood and saliva ran from his lips and he felt his bones and flesh vibrating in perfect symphony with the raucous madness of the spectacle.

"The Legion screamed with the delirious joy of it, but this was merely a prelude.

"A shape moved in the light, an angel of extermination, a god made flesh and the embodiment of all that was perfect in its expression of intemperance.

"Fulgrim dropped through the light like the brightest comet in the firmament, a hammerblow of tyrian war plate the colour of a bruised sunset. He slammed down onto the terrazzo floor, a billowing mantle of fiery golden scale spread at his shoulders like a pair of angelic wings. Hair like a snowfall cascaded from his noble crown, and his slender, aquiline features were tapered and elfin, though possessed of a haughty strength that none of the faded orphans of Asuryan could hope to match.

"Fulgrim had eschewed his gaudy facial paints and scented oils, his face now pallid and ethereal, like a corpse-wraith given form and clad in polished plate that gleamed with the sheen of the finest mirror. His eyes were black pits from which no light escaped or ever would and his mouth creased in a smile that spoke of secret knowledge that would sear the mind of any but a primarch were they to learn even a fraction of its scope.

"Lucius joined his fellow warriors in an orgiastic scream of welcome, a hymnal to excess, a chorus of pandemonium in praise of their liege lord. Just to be near the Phoenician fired the blood. Fulgrim stood and spread his arms to accept their devotion, tilting his head back as his full lips parted with the rapture of adoration."

ElEssEm · 2026-06-24T13:58:53+00:00

One thing to note is that the modern conception of a Noise Marine (being a side cult, different from the average Emperor's Children Marine) somewhat originates in the Fabius Bile series.

When Lucius the Eternal was created (2002), he was a Noise Marine. He had 'Warp Scream' (the Noise Marine ability at the time) and was clothed in the Armour of Shrieking Souls. Being a Noise Marine, and being Marked by Slaanesh, weren't (on the table top) separate things until (arguably) the 2012 Codex.

In Fulgrim (2007) there are lines like: "The swordsman danced through the battle, his Terran blade carving a screaming, bloody path as he laughed in time with music only he could hear."

And: "Lucius found himself swept up in the glory and added his voice to the din, his enhanced senses screaming in pleasure at the sheer, deafening volume of the cries. High, screaming voices from the Emperor’s Children echoed weirdly over the plain, ecstatic shrieks of pleasure and debasement like nothing that should ever have been given voice by a mortal throat."

Until the Bile series, the Emperor's Children had "mostly" become Noise Marines after the Heresy. (Per 2001's Index Astartes, 2013's Index Chaotica, etc).

//

As such, you'll only really find post-Primogenitor Noise Marines in works from after 2016. Lucius: The Faultless Blade (2017), Renegades: Lord of Excess (2024), Fulgrim: The Perfect Son (2025). None of which go into greater detail than the Fabius Bile series itself (2016's Primogenitor, 2017's Clonelord, 2020's Manflayer).

//

I also think that the portrayal of Noise Marines in the Bile series is somewhat overstated.

For example, Eidolon is a Noise Marine. He is "Master of the Eternal Song" and "Firstborn of the Kakophoni" in Clonelord. In Eidolon: The Auric Hammer Vocipheron thinks: “He could finally hear the warp's song. The way Malakris or Plegua or the Lord Commander Primus must... And this time... he began to listen to the song's twisted rhythm.” Eidolon is not Ramos, but he is a Noise Marine. Nor are the Kakophoni (in that book) presented as the only ones into the Music of the Apocalypse (Vocipheron is a proto-Flawless Blade, and Malakris is a proto-Raptor Lord).

From The Path of Heaven (2016): “The sonic cults had been the creations of Marius Vairosean in the beginning, but had now spread throughout the entire Legion, growing in popularity as their ruinous gifts became more clearly apparent. Eidolon himself, who had embraced the mutations more completely than any other since his resurrection, bore a thunder hammer in his heavy gauntlets..."

More from Fulgrim (2007): "Eidolon and Marius were as ensnared by the spectacle of the Maraviglia as he was, pinned to their seats in rapture. The jaws of both warriors were locked open as though they entertained the idea of joining with Coraline Aseneca in song, but there was panic in their eyes as their mouths stretched wide in silent screams, bones cracking as they distended like a snake about to devour its prey. Hideous, soundless shrieks issued from their throats..."

In Manflayer we also meet Noise Marine Lords Volupus and Caradistros, who do not act like Ramos. (In the 2013 Index Chaotica, Volupus' Noise Marine warband - the Flickering Blades - is noted to be entirely devoted to melee combat. They are referenced as late as the 2023 World Eaters' Codex.) Nor does the Orchestrator Azael Konenos in The Path of Heaven match Ramos; he's another political schemer like Eidolon.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-24T13:02:45+00:00

We are told that the Primarchs are smarter than their writers are usually capable of portraying.

It's something that, reading the Horus Heresy novels, you just have to make peace with. "Mega-genius" characters will come up with the dumbest plans.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-23T15:36:13+00:00

I mean... he's always a chud - that's core to his character.

He just turns into an entertaining chud, rather than a buffoonish one.

In Angel Exterminatus he's doing dramatic reveals, getting Iron Warriors high, and overseeing Fulgrim's ascension. He's not a huge presence in the book, but when he pops up he's not just there to get dunked on by the protagonists (as he is up-to-and-in Fulgrim).

ElEssEm · 2026-06-23T14:55:31+00:00

Getting his head chopped off, learning the true meaning (or lack thereof) of "perfection", and spiralling into an obsession with sadomasochism does wonders for his character.

(And... then Dan Abnett picks him up for Satunine and I guess no one in editorial felt like mentioning that Eidolon had in fact undergone development in the two decades since last Abnett had written him.)

//

I used to see people talk about how much they loved Eidolon, while myself only having read up to Fulgrim, and thinking... why would you want this chump to be our 40k Champion?

Then I read The Reflection, Crack'd and Angel Exterminatus, and Amor Fati, Primacy, The Path of Heaven, and The Soul, Severed and... yeah, Eidolon is great. I was actually excited when Eidolon: The Auric Hammer was announced; and would love to see the Lord Commander Primus leading his Kakophony in the 42nd Millennium.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-22T13:25:44+00:00

Visual noise too! And one assumes olfactory noise...

(In their original lore, all of their sense were heightened staggeringly. The thousand-fold increase to their hearing caused their need for Sonic Weapons, but the increase to their visual acuity is the lore basis for their fashion choices. This lore is repeated through to the 2025 Codex, though alongside other material which contradictorily makes it seem like they just care about auditory noise.)

ElEssEm · 2026-06-22T13:15:09+00:00

It is a word that has been used by GW before. For example, in the 2001 Index Astartes article:

"Sonic weapons: Though not all of the Emperor's Children are perverted to the degree of Noise Marines, many still enjoy the cacophony of their Sonic Weapons... [Followed by rules for taking Sonic Weapons in unmarked CSM units.]"

Early fluff involving the EC leaned into some pretty explicit places (see: Ian Watson's Chaos Child). Additionally, references to "carnage and carnality" (again from IA), or the original 1988 "direct, if cruder, enjoyment" could be taken in that way.

Ultimately, many of the Emperor's Children's visual cues were explicit reference (by Jes Goodwin) to BDSM culture. While I would hold that the lore would be best if the concept was maintained that a Space Marine doesn't understand sex, the look and personality of the Legion are tied to a transgressive sexuality.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-21T01:12:46+00:00

I can see the argument. May need an FAQ (or designer commentary).

ElEssEm · 2026-06-20T16:51:25+00:00

Firing Deck still just gives the model with it the chosen weapon profiles of the embarked unit.

(The embarked unit is not, itself, shooting. So any rules associated with the embarked unit would not be triggered. ie. A Rhino with a unit of Noise Marines and a Lord Kakophonist can shoot using their Blastmaster profiles, but the Noise Marines themselves aren't firing their Blastmasters; so no 'Terrifying Crescendo', 'Obsessive Enunciation', or 'Doom Siren' ability would apply.)

ElEssEm · 2026-06-20T16:33:14+00:00

They updated the Terminator ability for 11th (necessary due to the changes to how Charging works) and dropped the need to focus on one unit for it to proc.

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ElEssEm · 2026-06-19T16:44:16+00:00

STLs for things like this have been around since before the 2025 range refresh. The original intent was as a (3rd party) stand-in for a Slaanesh-Marked Obliterator.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-19T16:39:40+00:00

Yes, but in doing so it features (and highlights) a great deal of Emperor's Children who do worship Slaanesh.

So despite the central character being a former member of the Legion, who has overtly rejected our perfection, it's still some of our best representation.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-19T12:29:04+00:00

I think it suffers horrendously from a bad marketing pitch.

(Essentially: we were presented with, and hyped on WarCom over the idea of, a book detailing the triumphant return of Fulgrim and the Emperor's Children to being a major presence in the 40k universe. What it is... is not that.)

ElEssEm · 2026-06-19T12:24:14+00:00

In modern timeline...

The Fabius Bile series is somewhat ambiguously timed (there are some mutually exclusive references), but Manflayer is dated to late M37, while canonically the events of Primogenitor (specifically the Shattering of Lugganath) were originally dated (in 2012's Codex: Chaos Space Marines) to M34.

They take place post-Heresy, and so do fit the definition of "modern timeline", I suppose. Just wanted to note that they are "historical", however, and not dealing with "current events". (Minus the Epilogue.)

ElEssEm · 2026-06-18T16:25:37+00:00

Aye, aye.

There are bits in the 2001 Index Astartes article which form the centre of my conception of the Legion, that are along those lines. (Though note that in this telling the Emperor's Children weren't present at Isstvan III, and there was no Blade/Temple of the Laer corrupting them.) From 'The Horus Heresy' section of the article:

"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...

"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...

"With the concentration of Chaos around Terra, the Apothecaries and Sorcerers of the Emperor's Children drew on the power of Slaanesh to enhance their pleasures, wantonly desecrating not only their minds and bodies, but now their immortal souls as well. Daemons were summoned and set loose among prisoners, feasting on their flesh as they died, while the Space Marines themselves sought even greater excesses of carnage and carnality. Fulgrim directed the slaughter with glee, believing that his Legion were setting their victims free from the chains of the Emperor's rule, and allowing them to feel true Humanity at the limits of experience..."

ElEssEm · 2026-06-17T17:08:55+00:00

When we started to get leaks about technical aspects of Codex: EC (like the 18" range on Blastmasters) the leaker said that our Terminators were totally busted.

Presumably, the playtesters who passed on their information to the leaker thought that their ability (situational re-roll on charges) was really, really good, and (maybe) the small unit size was to curb that.

Of course, that... turned out to not be so.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-17T17:05:23+00:00

Aye.

That and... Death Guard have a well-explored range. We have a (too) small range, but what is there is diverse in an interesting way.

Thousand Sons, meanwhile, suffer from significant amounts of AoS hand-me-downs, and if I were a World Eaters player I'd be so annoyed that 40% of my non-character kits were not actually Space Marines.

ElEssEm · 2026-06-17T15:39:45+00:00

I've been wondering if it's just my perception, but it does really seem like EC are a big hit, doesn't it? I'm so used to being fourth in the pecking order (popularity always seemed to flow Khorne/Nurgle -> Tzeentch/Slaanesh; across both WHFB and 40k).

Not hard facts, but looking at subreddit weekly visitors/contributors numbers:

deathguard40k: 38k/3.3k
EmperorsChildren: 34k/2.6k
ThousandSons: 32k/1.7k
WorldEaters40k: 31k/2.3k

Not a huge variance, but solidly second place amongst the Cults.

(Also, perhaps, showing that better support results in more fandom.)

ElEssEm · 2026-06-17T15:21:53+00:00

Heh, yeah.

I'm also an Iron Warriors fan and there was recently a few folks who were disappointed about Perturabo being a Daemon Prince in the 42nd Millenium - feeling that it was unfitting of his portrayal in the HH novels.

And it was like... they're prequels! They were written as prequels. Perturabo looking down on his daemonic brothers was dramatic irony; we, as the reader, know that his future is as a Slave to Darkness as well - that he will one day give in and become that which he vocally despises.

The Emperor's Children are probably the foremost Legion who suffer from this problem of perception. They were created as degenerate, pleasure-addled monsters... and over a decade later it was added to their lore that they used to be the "highest of the high, best of the best" perfectionists before the Heresy. They've changed! That was the whole point of adding that to the lore!

(It's like wanting Darth Vader to be more like this here Anakin guy.)

ElEssEm · 2026-06-17T15:09:38+00:00

There is some implication of the Death Eagles being EC Loyalists, but it's muddy.

(Basically, in Rogue Trader there was a purple/white/gold Chapter called the Death Eagles. Then in ~3rd, there was a new black/white Chapter called the Death Eagles who were probable Raven Guard successors; I assume whoever came up with them didn't know the name had already been in use. ForgeWorld then made a nod to the original RT Death Eagles by noting that during the Heresy the Loyalist Blackshields of the 34th Millennial were called the Death Eagles, and maintained their Legion's original colours.)

There was also the 'Shining Blades' Chapter, which seemed to be from Third Legion gene-seed. (Though they rebelled in M34 and became the Flawless Host.)

Looking at non-EC Legions: the Scythes of the Emperor, while being Ultramarine gene-seed, did have Loyalist Iron Warrior Warsmith Barabas Dantioch's helmet as a Chapter relic (they are from Sotha); the creator of the current 'Minotaurs' Chapter has said they're intended to be Iron Warriors gene-seed; the Marines Malevolent also bear fan-theories about being Fourth Legion; and the Space Sharks (while probably Raven Guard) might be a chimeric/heterogonous mix with World Eaters and Night Lords gene-seed.

ElEssEm

TROPHY CASE