Relations between Primarchs and their Legions l Warhammer 40k Lore

they are my sons and in them shall dwell the hopes of a unified Humanity their strength shall Prevail not only when Victory appears effortless but also when it seems beyond reach when Doom settles like a shroud in times of darkness my Noble Sun shall Shine the brightest throughout history in every Armed Force the relationship between soldiers and their commanders has always been one of the most crucial elements of warfare from the respect for the leader inspired by personal strength and victories to the behavior strictly regulated by the code of conduct discipline remains a vital component of service without which any unit would simply become unmanageable and even the finest Defenders of humanity the Invincible Warriors of the estares submit to this most ancient rule however the legion's relationship with their primarchs has always been something more than mere subordination the very nature of the aares sets them apart from the rest of humanity to command the death Angels into battle it is not enough to be just a competent Commander for this the emperor created demigods his genetic Sons each of whom by their mere existence can provoke acts of fanatical devotion among ordinary people taking the very concept of submission to the level of instincts yet this places immense responsibility on the primarchs they are infinitely removed from the sufferings of ordinary people and even the estares under their command seem like children compared to these demigods and the primarch had to exert tremendous efforts to achieve simple Mutual understanding with their subordinates and each of the 20 tackled this task in their own way moreover each of the primarchs had their Flagship whose appearance in a planet's orbit meant that its inhabitants were left with only one choice compliance or flame Primark lion l Johnson of the first Legion always stood apart from his brothers in what could be termed as Majesty anyone who who beheld the primarch in person noted that his very presence compelled one to kneel before him However the fact that every individual automatically perceived him as some Divine figure sent unto them weighed heavily on the Primark himself lion grew up on the feudal world of caliban where people were forced to fight for survival against creatures spawned by the endless forests and warped by the emerium throughout his life he dedicated himself to protecting Humanity from from the horrors of the warp and from his earliest years as a member of a nightly order he absorbed the ideals of Valor and martial Brotherhood this is why he transformed his Legion into a semblance of knights he saw himself not as a father and master but rather as an equal to his legionnaires a brother and Commander and his overwhelming Aura of majesty helped maintain the Loyalty of his subordinates even after 10,000 years when the primarch returned to his Warriors all of them even those deemed Fallen those who had betrayed him during the times of horus's heresy returned to His Banner without hesitation Primark fulgrim is the living proof of The Emperor's genius the impeccable leader of the third Legion a Godlike sinless entity incapable of defeat or flaw the most worthy of emulation and reverence the embodiment of perfection yet a blind fool Fallen victim to his own arrogance a half-mad narcissist craving praise and adoration a spoiled child enamored with his own reflection oblivious to the fact that he is made of evil and blood a disgusting example of betrayal unable to accept his own guilt from birth fulgrim was the object of universal attention and admiration a star child bringing water he led his native world to prosperity and when the Great Crusade found the Primark he was already distinctly aware that he was far superior and better than any of those around him his ambition to perfect everything from Warfare to Art he instilled in his Legion as fulgrim sought to approach the greatness of the emperor his Space Marines aspired to be worthy of their primarch fulgrim regarded the legionnaires as his children and students whom he ought to guide on the proper path and was free to punish for their transgressions The Emperor's Children answered to him with boundless loyalty and genuine admiration seeing their primarch as the savior of the Legion and the living embodiment of Humanity's dream eventually there was hardly anyone left who could see how the legion and the Primark were swiftly marching into the abyss marveling at the Perfection of its void Perfection turned into painful perfectionism mentorship transformed into arrogance rivalry into enmity an unbreakable fighting Spirit into blind overconfidence a legion that celebrated Victory before battle became a legion of chaos reclaimed Cutthroats becoming a nightmare for those they were meant to protect The Chosen Warriors of slanesh no longer strive for Perfection they have long achieved it in their pursuit of endless ecstasy and Slaughter yet even becoming carriers of Terror they retained this endless loyalty to their primarch time and again attempting to revive the long dead Legion and they were even ready to follow a clone of fulgrim when their true primar withdrew from his children only Fabius B who was always more of a scholar than a warrior could afford to treat the Grimm situation with disdain his pursuit of perfection was never of interest to the Apothecary perturabo the primarch of the fourth Legion was always demanding and reclusive few could earn his respect let alone his friendship he was the embodiment of iron both in resilience and in insensitivity he never shared the Romanticism of his brothers even the great Crusade itself he regarded as a task to be accomplished in this he never relied on such aspects as loyalty and respect from his subordinates almost everyone who had seen the Primark In the Flesh described him as reserved and reticent his mistrust for those around him bordering on paranoia perhaps this was why his personal guard never consisted of living beings but rather a Detachment of machines constructed by the primarch himself unfailingly executing any command he demanded the same from his legionnaires every Space Marine had to be capable of completing any task assigned to them the iron warriors were to become components of the immaculately tuned mechanism that the Primark envisioned his Legion to be and if any part suddenly ceased to function it was mercilessly replaced with a new one the iron Warriors themselves aspired to be worthy components of the Legion however their eagerness to please their primarch soon crossed the bounds of the permissible Pabo failed to turn his Space Marines into unquestioning automatons and each of them in their Str rrive to secure a distinguished place within the legion did not shy away from anything not even the murder of their own Brothers nevertheless Pabo found this state of affairs to his liking after all the iron Warriors remain one of the few traitor Legions that still exist as a legion to this day jagatai Khan Primark of the white scars Legion has always been an enigma to those around him beneath the guise of a Savage Nomad always lurked the cold and penetrating Mind of a strategist and Lord not given to verbosity and constantly concealing his intentions until the last moment always making others regard him with suspicion this blend of savagery and intellect made the white scars stand out even among their brother estares from other Legions after all jagatai himself was a nomad and built his Legion on principles familiar to him he was always the chieftain of the United tribes of free people not the general of a strictly organized Army the Primark genuinely loved his legionnaires and encouraged among them freedom of thought and a creative approach to problem solving often leaving his subordinates to make important decisions on their own such an approach bore its fruits the white scars saw in their primarch a strong and authoritative leader but not a master and Overlord because of this at the start of the heresy half of the Legion nearly turned to horus's side and it was only the primark's personal intervention that stopped the legion from internal conflict as for Leman Russ the father of the Space Wolves never aspired to be a Lord and Master to anyone raised in the culture of the wild peoples of Fenris lemon Russ characterized by a very straightforward nature simply took what he regarded as his and was always ready to serve those who proved to be stronger and more worthy than himself thus he became one of the most loyal Servants of the emperor seeing in him not a universally beloved master of humanity but a leader worthy of Allegiance against whom resistance was simply futile his Space Wolves always operated on a similar principle recruiting from Fenris Layman Russ filled his Legion with people who shared and supported his mindset the Space Wolves were always loyal to their father and were willing to follow him anywhere however the primarch never distanced himself from his sons sharing with them the joys of victory and The Madness of battle he did not tolerate insolence yet he understood humor he was stronger than any of his Legionnaire but never oppressed them he was always their leader and they were his wolves the relationship between rogal Dawn and the Imperial fists could be described as that of a father to his sons the Primark genuinely cared for his Legion turning it into an indestructible Force capable of repelling any threat from space he was always demanding and fair to his Legionnaires but did not tolerate betrayal or Disobedience the story of sigismund exemplifies the relationship between the primarch and his Legion when the captain of the first company strayed from Imperial truths accepting the Emperor as a God daor could not forgive his son yet allowed him to fulfill his duty to the very death at the hands of abdon while the histories of other primarchs often tell Tales of greatness and loyalty Conrad Kur represents more the embodiment of Madness disillusionment and contempt entangled and driven mad by constant visions of the future the primarch of the night Lords despised his Legion comprised of men he loathed in the end K simply let go and submissively awaited his death which marked the end of the primark's Endless nightmares the night Lords fully embraced their nature if Elite assassins are endowed with the power of the estares they inevitably become the nightmare of all living things in the galaxy and even the strength of a primarch can hardly restrain the madness the legion will unleash upon countless worlds especially the power of a broken and insane primarch sanguinius could have become a second fulgrim had he allowed his flawlessness to overshadow his mind to the same extent as his brother fortunately for the Imperium this did not happen the Primark of the blood angels was always the embodiment of devotion humility and greatness he demanded Perfection from his children but never distanced himself from them he enjoyed the trust of the emperor but always sought to justify it he gave his life in an effort to preserve his father's dream in a battle where he stood no chance of Victory and his Legion always reciprocated their primark's feelings Ferris mantis's approach to Legion command was similar to Pabo however contrary to the primarch of the iron Warriors he did not have such issues with trusting his son the primarch was demanding but fair cruel but not withdrawn and his Legion endeavored in every way to earn feris respect and trust but unlike the iron Warriors the tenth legionnaires had chances of success that were nonzero something that could never be said about the world eaters in a way the 12th Legion never truly found their primarch angran was a man deprived of everything the slavers of nyria took his freedom the butcher's Nails took his sanity and the emperor deprived him of his only friends in life and of death itself angron openly scorned his Marines and initially killed anyone who tried to speak to him eventually he accepted command of the Legion but continued to despise it constantly demanding The Impossible he purged the Legion of Pyers from his personal guard he demanded the strength of a primarch and did not hesitate to kill his sons when they failed his commands ultimately angran followed Horus in the hope of avenging himself against the emperor and became a maddened monster craving endless Slaughter the world eaters in turn can be termed a lost Legion they aspired to earn their father's love and become like him eventually the legion simply ceased to exist dissolving into desperate bands of Berserkers collecting skulls for the blood God as for roboot Gillan and the ultramarines there is not much to linger on the 13th Legion was always the embodiment of order and civilization Gilman always regarded his Space Marines as his soldiers and subordinates he treated them as individuals with whom one could speak seek advice and even Gest however the latter often irked those around him as nothing in the primarch's demeanor betrayed a sense of humor in turn the Marines saw him as a commander to whom they bore responsibility and to whom they must justify the trust placed in them to a Warp disgracing neither the legion nor the Primark the relationship between mortarion and the death guard was always somewhat distant and cold fundamentally everyone in the legion simply did their Duty trying not to meddle in each other's Affairs those rare moments when he found himself alone with any of his sons could be described as awkward and tense nonetheless despite this the Primark cared for his Legion in a critical moment he even gave himself to chaos to save the lives of his sons however such Detachment led to some legionnaires feeling no loyalty or affection towards their primarch a captain named typhus openly scorned him believing he had done far more in the service of nurgle than his primarch Magnus the primarch of the Thousand Sons always loved his Legion sincerely and at one point refused the idea of reassembling it to stop the curse of Flesh change he sought to to save his estares by any means yet fell victim to his own pride in his undoubted genius he came to believe he knew better than others and never heeded the Council of his sons at a critical juncture this led to direct insubordination when one thousand Sons clashed with the Space Wolves during the burning of Prospero this eventually led to the infamous rubric of ariman following which the legion ceased to exist in any recognizable form Primark Horus the EMP Emperor's favored son a warrior unparalleled among the primarchs the embodiment of the dream for a United Humanity The Guiding Light of the great Crusade forever etched in the annals of the Imperium as the arch betrayer during the times of the great Crusade Horus was the epitome of perfection combining all the best attributes of his brothers dewarp of their flaws an unconquerable Warrior and a grand Diplomat he was the Wrath of the emperor incarnate yet also the beacon of the the Imperial truth he was not merely the father and Commander of his Legion he was its Essence each Legion had a circle of captains those closest to the primarchs yet none of this bore any resemblance to the famed moural which was not just a military Council but a true Circle of Friends the lunar wolves were ready not just to kill and die for their Primark they were willing to do anything for him even that which would ultimately cast the primarch into the abyss many believe that the wound inflicted by the sword anathomy was the starting point in horus's Fall however this is not entirely accurate contradictions in the relationship between the legions and the Imperium had been accumulating for a long time sooner or later this was bound to have some consequences however without the interference of the dark Gods it is unlikely that it would have escalated into an overt Rebellion the gxy is vast enough to find occupations for the discontented Space Marines yet even so the wound from the anathomy merely served as a pretext for the true desecration of the primarch Horus was loyal to the Imperial truths in his right mind he would never have heeded The Whispers from the immaterium it took something that would prompt the Primark to hear the voice from Beyond it was the lethal wound from the accursed blade which would have inevitably killed the warrior that became such a prompt naturally the ritual was not the first remedy used to save the warrior it was the desperation of the close captains witnessing that no one could assist their primarch that pushed the loyal friends to conduct a ritual in which nobody truly believed it was then that Horus ceased to be himself the Primark returning to his sons scarcely resembled his former self trust was replaced with paranoia intellect with cunning and loyalty with hatred as he Advanced towards Terror Horus sank deeper into the abyss of Madness and swiftly lost the respect of his legionnaires and after the Fateful duel with the emperor the legion ceased to exist a similar narrative unfolds concerning lorgar before the Horus heresy the primarch of the word bearers was sincerely devoted to his Legion and Humanity he took pride not in conquests but in the flourishing worlds he newly forged he saw in the emperor a Divine embodiment of Humanity's will to live a notion that displeased the emperor himself who denied any Divinity the public humiliation of logar and the annihilation of monarchia became a turning point in the primarch's Fate instantly losing everything he believed in in his quest for the universal truth he lost his love not only for his domain but for all Humanity after the heresy he withdrew from his Legion and for 10,000 years now he has been dealt Ving into the essence of Chaos in complete Solitude in fact he no longer commands his Legion the relationship between korax and his ravengard could be characterized by the phrase restrained devotion it might appear from the outside that the primarch is utterly indifferent to the fate of his legionnaires and the Marines themselves regard him merely as a commander however the slaughter at the drop site vividly revealed this to be false the Practical loss of his Legion has forever imprinted itself upon the Primark psyche and for 10,000 years he has sought Vengeance against the traitors and hunts for lar himself to obliterate him from the Galaxy once and for all Vulcan an indomitable Warrior whose strength in battle was tempered by profound wisdom Vulcan was the Lord and embodiment of the entire salamander's Legion he was considered the most human primarch yet true to his primarch nature in Fury he matched any of his brothers despite being aware of the destruction and the power and responsibility that he and his Legion bore when the emperor told him of the other primarchs Vulcan merely shook his head he had no desire to be a conqueror or a subjugator as his brothers were in all his Endeavors Vulcan always sought to limit unnecessary and senseless destruction seeing in it a path to ruination and the devastation of the Soul he compelled his Legion to shift their approach to Warfare tempering the Warriors inclination for self-sacrifice with an understanding of its potential long-term consequences additionally through iron discipline Relentless training and Superior Equipment the legionnaires mastered Close Quarters combat and operations in mortalis zones to Perfection under vulcan's leadership the salamanders became renowned as skilled Artisans creating magnificent weapons he silently shouldered any hardships that fell to him or his sons gaining wisdom from these trials to become an even better protector for the burgeoning Imperium Vulcan purged haughtiness and uncontrollable rage from the legion replacing them with stoicism and absolute loyalty to humanity from that moment on the salamanders were no longer spoken of as wrathful Warriors who charged into battle at every turn heedlessly sacrificing themselves vulcan's warriors were now known as reserved and skilled Warriors whose anger quietly simmered in their hearts but if he indeed burst forth stopping them was impossible like a volcanic lava wave sweeping everything in its path for 3,000 years following the end of the Horus heresy Vulcan LED his chapter but then the Primark vanished leaving the salamanders with the task of finding nine artifacts he had hidden across the Galaxy thus Vulcan sought to test his sons interesting a merciful conqueror a true Marvel as for Alerus and omegon the Very nature of their Legion does not allow the them to stand out openly among the other Space Marines the primarch always considered himself equal to his legionnaires and quelled any Sprouts of attachment and dependence of the Legion on its primarch alarius needed the 20th to act independently of his direct participation and for each Space Marine to be equal to his primarch after all each of them is alarus the relationship between the primarchs and their Legions was always greater than mere subordination between a commander and subordinates aartis are no ordinary men and to lead them into battle it is not enough to be just a good Commander each Space Marine is an autonomous competent and monstrously effective combat unit such a weapon must be kept under the strictest control and the one who leads the estares into battle must possess an unquestionable authority among them however even the most Flawless leader can lead his Warriors into the abyss it's a different matter when the abyss is the goal of their campaign when the driver does not battle the abyss but is instead its very spawn when your leader carries forth fire and Slaughter when your purpose is absolute devastation when you are led by the master of the end times

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Id: ejRzgrsl5TE

Length: 23min 15sec (1395 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 03 2024