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In his spartan quarters, Fulgrim was faced by armoured warriors from the stars. Their faces bore the scars of many battles, and from their shoulders hung scrolls listing their achievements. Their armour and weapons were finely-worked, and their banners and pennants were works of art. Fulgrim recognised that these men were not merely advanced, but civilised — his lost brothers from the stars had preserved the arts he had longed to return to Chemos. From the midst of these warriors stepped their leader, the Emperor of Humanity. Fulgrim surveyed him and, without a word, knelt and offered his sword. On that day Fulgrim swore to serve the Imperium with all his heart. From the Emperor, Fulgrim learned of the distant world of [[Terra]], of the [[Great Crusade]] to reclaim the sundered galaxy, and of his own origins. It is unknown when exactly this event occurred; however, it is recorded that the construction of a starship for the Primarch of the III Legion was completed around 160 years before the beginning of the [[Horus Heresy]].{{Fn|22b}}

Fulgrim became driven by the notion that his Legion should strive to live up to this honour and the perfection of the Emperor and his vision of Imperial culture. This drive to achieve perfection soon applied to all things the Primarch and his Legion became concerned with, from military tactics to the embrace of artistic culture that didn't exist on Chemos to their very appearances. Fulgrim was a particularly imposing sight, with shimmering white shoulder-length hair, large, friendly-seeming eyes and a mouth that was never far from a smile. His armour was of the finest quality, and intricately decorated. Over it he often wore one of a variety of high-collared cloaks.{{Fn|22a}}

Fulgrim was anxious to make his contribution to the Great Crusade, but the comparatively small size of his Legion meant that the Emperor's Children were placed under the command of [[Horus]] and his [[Luna Wolves]]. Horus and Fulgrim grew close to one another while pacifying the [[Eastern Fringe]]. Eventually, swelled by recruits from both Chemos and Terra, Fulgrim was soon able to lead a crusade of his own, bringing countless worlds into the light of the Imperium.{{Fn|1}} Fulgrim sought perfection and spectacle in these campaigns, as demonstrated when he took the world of [[Byzas]] with only seven men, despite nearly dying in the process.{{Fn|12}} Fulgrim also established a close friendship with his brother [[Ferrus Manus]], who also attempted to purge imperfection from himself. Ferrus and Fulgrim eventually came to each try to build the perfect weapon, resulting in Fulgrim crafting [[Forgebreaker]] and Ferrus [[Fireblade (Weapon)|Fireblade]]. The two exchanged weapons and they became synonymous with their respective Primarch's Primarchs thereafter.{{Fn|22D}} In the later stages of the Crusade the Emperor's Children soon made a name for themselves during the Crusade, battling fearsome enemies such as the [[Megarachnids]] {{Cite this}} and [[Diasporex]].{{Cite thisfn|2e}}.

During this time, the Emperor's Children initiated the [[Cleansing of Laeran]], a campaign that required great effort, dedication and sacrifice from the Imperial forces. At the conclusion of this campaign, Fulgrim acquired a trophy from the field of battle; a xenos-manufactured sword recovered from a [[Laeran]] temple known as the [[Silver Blade of Laer]]. {{Fn|2c}} He would begin to wield this sword more often than ''Fireblade'', his customary personal weapon. With the benefit of hindsight, it can be recognised that the Laeran sword was a [[Daemon Weapon]].{{Fn|22l}}

|quote = '''''"A warrior is measured by the quality of the foes he defeats. For years we have blunted our blades against lesser species and backwards primitives, but now this war, this glorious cataclysm, it presents us a chance to display for all eternity our perfection in the arena of war against the most formidable foe we ever shall face, our brother Legionaries, and for this we humbly thank Him, our dear father whose name we carry."''''' /Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children. Open vox adress address before the Jhyran Luxor Atrocity{{Fn|29}}

Fulgrim himself met with the renowned [[Farseer]] [[Eldrad Ulthran]] of [[Ulthwé]] on the [[Maiden World]] Tarsus, in which the Farseer attempted to warn Fulgrim of Horus's grievous wounding at the hands of [[Eugen Temba]] and his [[Anathame]], and how he was slowly beginning to turn to Chaos as he recuperated. {{Fn|2f}} Fulgrim reacted with outrage at the Farseer's accusations due to his close friendship with Horus, second only to his bond with [[Ferrus Manus]]. This was spurred on by the influence of Fulgrim's [[Laeran]] blade, which was infused with a [[Slaanesh]]i entity. Fulgrim furiously attacked Eldrad alongside his captains and the [[Phoenix Guard]], destroying both [[Khiraen Goldhelm]], an ancient and revered [[Wraithlord]], and an [[Avatar]] of [[Kaela Mensha Khaine|Khaine]] in the process, forcing Eldrad and his beleaguered forces to withdraw. This victory led to Fulgrim's subsequent destruction of various [[Eldar]] maiden worlds using [[virus bombs]] as a means to end the supposed treachery of the Eldar.{{Fn|22g}}

Whilst the exact timing and placement of it varies between versions of the story, it is clear that Fulgrim soon met Horus in person, demanding a personal account of his actions. Instead, Horus was able to sway Fulgrim to his cause. Fulgrim's respect for Horus allowed Chaos to find its way into Fulgrim's heart, destroying Fulgrim's loyalty to Terra, and replacing it with a burning desire to destroy the man who held [[human]]ity back from the perfection Fulgrim desired.{{Fn|1}}{{fn|2i}} Fulgrim was immediately sent to meet with [[Ferrus Manus]], Primarch of the [[Iron Hands]]. Great bonds of friendship and brotherhood existed between them, and Fulgrim felt that he could convince Ferrus of the righteousness of Horus's cause. He was wrong however, and their meeting did not go well, and concluded in violence. When next the brothers met, it would be as enemies. {{Fn|2j}} Their path chosen, the chaotic rot spread quickly, from Fulgrim to his lieutenants, the Lord Commanders of the [[Space Marine Legion|Legion]], then to company and squad leaders, and finally all but a bare handful of Marines followed Slaanesh rather than the Emperor. Perfection became perfect hedonism. Fulgrim's mental state quickly deteriorated, he began talking to a painting by [[Serena D'Angelus]] {{fn|2h}} and killed the Sculptor sculptor [[Ostian Delafour]] after he inadvertently slighted the Primarch.{{Fn|22k}}

When the loyalist legions arrived in the Isstvan system, the Emperor's Children were at the forefront of the fighting, aiding in the massacre of their former brethren. During the infamous [[Drop Site Massacre]], Fulgrim and Ferrus Manus met once again, and had their final and fateful duel. Fulgrim wielded the weapon he had made for his brother, the [[Thunder Hammer]] [[Forgebreaker]], while Ferrus did the same with the sword [[Fireblade (Weapon)|Fireblade]]. Though both weapons were shattered Fulgrim proved the victor after taking up his Silver Blade, but discovered he could not bring himself to kill his brother. It was at this point that the [[daemon]] bound within the [[Laeran]] blade fully exerted itself, and Ferrus Manus was struck dead. Fulgrim was shocked into clear-thinking by the death of his brother, aghast at what he had done and at the horrific betrayal and carnage around him. In a further moment of weakness he agreed to the daemon's offer to send him to oblivion and allowed the Warp-creature to escape from the sword. It took but a moment for it to possess him body and soul, trapping his consciousness in a tiny corner of his mind. From that moment on, Fulgrim became a prisoner in his own form, his existence fully controlled by the Slaaneshi daemon. Fulgrim's soul was later trapped in the twisted painting of Serena D'Angelus.{{Fn|2}} The only person aware of the fate of Fulgrim was [[Horus]], who recognized the Daemonic possession almost immediately during their next meeting but considered Fulgrim too valuable an asset to lose. {{Fn|2m}} [[Lorgar]] and [[Magnus]] also became aware of the true nature of Fulgrim upon encountering him.{{Fn|8}}

However, in the months afterward Fulgrim was able to regain his body by unknown means, trapping the daemon's essence in the same painting he had been trapped in. {{Fn|4d}} This was only revealed to his Legion when a group of captains led by [[Lucius (Emperor's Children)|Lucius]] realised what had happened to their Primarch {{Fn|4a}} and took Fulgrim captive{{Fn|4b}}; he allowed them to do this to prove he was no longer possessed, as they tried to make the daemon release its hold over him through extreme torture. {{Fn|4c}} Fulgrim revealed that he had forced the daemon out and had been himself for some time, and had chosen to devote himself to Slaanesh fully and of his own free will for reasons he did not deign to explain.{{Fn|44d}}

Among his fellow Primarchs, Fulgrim's friendships were deepest with Ferrus Manus and Horus though the former was a stronger bond.{{Fn|22i}}

Fulgrim wielded many weapons throughout the Heresy. He is perhaps most famous for the [[Silver Blade of Laer]], the [[daemon]]ic weapon that drove him to corruption. However, before wielding this weapon, his primary weapon was [[Fireblade (Weapon)|Fireblade]], a [[power sword]] built for him by [[Ferrus Manus]]. After the [[Battle of Isstvan III]], Fulgrim also came into the possession of the [[Anathame]]. During the [[Drop Site Massacre]], Fulgrim effectively wielded Manus's [[thunderhammer]] [[Forgebreaker]] for a time.{{Fn|22l}} Fulgrim's personal firearm was the [[volkite charger]] ''[[Firebrand (Pistol)|Firebrand]]'', while his [[power armour]] was an ornate artistically-crafted suit known as the ''[[Gilded Panoply]]''.{{Fn|6}}

*{{Endn|2}}: [[Fulgrim (Novel)]] :**{{Cite thisendn|2a}}: ch. 1**{{endn|2b}}: ch. 2**{{endn|2c}}: ch. 5**{{endn|2d}}: ch. 6**{{endn|2e}}: ch. 10**{{endn|2f}}: ch. 14**{{endn|2g}}: ch. 15**{{endn|2h}}: ch. 16**{{endn|2i}}: ch. 17**{{endn|2j}}: ch. 19**{{endn|2k}}: ch. 21**{{endn|2l}}: ch. 24**{{endn|2m}}: ch. 25

*{{Endn|4}}: [[The Reflection Crack'd (Novella)]] :**{{endn|4a}}: ch. 9**{{endn|4b}}: ch. 11**{Cite this{endn|4c}}: ch. 13**{{endn|4d}}: ch. 14