THE COST OF BECOMING PRIMARIS!

hey everyone wolf lordro here today we're discussing the mental toll crossing the rubicon primaris takes on the former firstborn marines spoiler warning to begin the events we are discussing today are from the warhammer 40k novel swords of calf by graham mcneal as always i really recommend you read the stories for yourself first as that's the best way to enjoy the lore for yourself not only that we help to support the great games workshop and black library because without them we don't have this amazing law to talk about i will put a link in the description as always but with that said let's just jump straight in okay the primaris marines saviours of the imperium and wondrous creations of belisarius call blessed by gilman with details of the primarks and unblemished gene seed of all 20 legions belisarius call enhanced the emperor's design to make the astartes bigger stronger and faster and though these new marines brought much needed hope to an imperium on its knees there was undoubtedly a strong measure of resistance from their firstborn cousins it truly began reaching the point where an astati's civil war became an unbelievable possible future but so it was that marnius kalgar strode into the breach the ultramarine's chapter master realizing the division between these servants of the emperor became the first firstborn marine to undergo the rubicon primaris procedure knowing full well the risks he was taking on he ultimately emerged reborn as the first born marine to cross the rubicon now since then many others have followed kalgar in crossing the rubicon including other prominent characters such as mephiston of the blood angels ragnar blackmane of the space wolves and most recently uriel ventress fourth company captain of the ultramarines but the more marines that embrace this new enhancement the more we are beginning to see that perhaps the results are not as flawless as promised and that perhaps in becoming a primaris marine you are paying a greater toll than truly realized now in the novel swords of calf we find uriel in the aftermath of his elevation to a primaris marine still adjusting to the feel of his new body and he has requested an audience with his primark robute gilliman as is the way in depictions of gilman in the current timeline it's made clear he has visibly changed since awakening in his rebirth his blonde hair now contains traces of grey and his features have seemingly hardened but despite this uriel is still overwhelmed with the majesty of his gene sire's presence this is a primark his primark a son of the emperor and if anyone can turn the tide back against the darkness it is him now after exchanging pleasantries with gilman being pleased uriel survived the procedure and commenting on the current progress of their campaign gilman asks uriel to sit down and despite uriel declining gilman insists and there's a very telling line here uriel obeyed and the primark pulled a bench seat out from beneath the desk opposite uriel the reinforced wood creaked beneath his bulk as his eyes bored into uriel taking the full measure of him his strengths weaknesses and crucially his doubts now we get lines similar to this from every primark how their sons can tell they are being instinctively appraised for weakness by a superior predator but this is different this isn't just the warrior in gilman this is the father to his sons and he can see more than just the physical transformation and that's hinted at with the very last piece and crucially his doubts their conversation continues with gilman knowing why uriel has requested the meeting he wishes to rejoin his company in the field of battle and the primark has just one question do you feel fit enough to which uriel of course replies yes the apothecaries say he is well ahead of schedule and he is undoubtedly fitter and stronger than before but this wasn't the true point of the primark's question i would expect no less from the captain of the fourth and the rest the rest gilman leaned in and uriel was struck by the sheer power of the primark's proximity his hard eyes saw the truth behind uriel's dissembled words past his false modesty and most of all knew the core of his pain you think i can't see to the very heart of my sons said gilman tapping uriel's breastplate speak true or your petition will be rejected i admit it has been difficult to regain equilibrium my body is superior in almost every way but my faults are disturbed it isn't just the body the rubicon reshapes said gilman your mind is profoundly altered to enable it to control the new biological hardware grafted to your flesh and to rewire the mind of an astartes warrior is no small thing your faults and emotions are reborn in flames and agony many who come back from the crossing are no longer the men they were before so tell me are you still uriel ventress now uriel here isn't quite sure how to answer the question replying he is who he always has been but in truth as all marines who undergo the crossing of the rubicon he has been changed in ways he himself doesn't understand but the question is is it irrevocably it's clearly something gilliman himself has become aware of maybe through reports but more likely knowing him through personal observation it would be fascinating to get some more insight into these doubts of the primark going forward we've seen him privately think of the primaris as necessary blasphemous creations it would really be interesting to see these concerns of his develop further as he witnesses more of his sons losing a part of themselves as they continue to cross the rubicon however for now further into this story we get the greatest glimpse yet into the change of mentality uriel has undergone with the primark having granted his request and now on campaign uriel and his men find themselves surviving the crash of their gunship and uriel is leading his squad of ultramarines along with a group of surviving milotarum attempting to remain out of sight of necron patrols however they encounter a wasteland of fallen prometheum silos fire and smoke is everywhere there's simply no way the militarum soldiers can safely traverse this obstacle and surprisingly here uriel merely remarks the ultramarine's power armor is proof against the flames hassanius shifted his weight and looked at uriel we might be able to get through there but aren't you forgetting about the militarum soldiers they'd never survive that route is that our primary concern right now i'm not sure i understand what you're suggesting at least i hope i don't one of those human soldiers will likely be dead soon said uriel and the odds of the others surviving to reach the citadel are low what are you saying that we just abandoned them without them we could regroup with the fourth before nightfall now if you've never read any of the uriel ventress stories before allow me to inform you that this kind of attitude this contempt for the lives of loyal soldiers is completely inconceivable coming from uriel ventress this guy is the paragon of everything it is to be an ultramarine and even if it wasn't urial this kind of mentality from an ultramarine is completely out of character they may not be as renowned as the sons of vulcan when it comes to going above and beyond for the people of the imperium but make no mistake about it they would never sacrifice the people they protect or indeed leave loyal militarum soldiers behind to ensure their own survival this is a drastic change in the mindset of the fourth company captain and it's one his long time friend passanius simply can't believe he is hearing telling his friend he'd heard of the changes the rubicon can make but he cannot believe that his friend would ever utter such words considering abandoning his allies and incredulously here uriel continues to argue with pasanius further that it's the logical decision to make free militarum lives to the cost of seven astartes in crossing the rubicon primaris and becoming ever greater it appears we now need to ask the question at what cost is it coming as these gifts take them further from the humans they were born as is it coming at the cost of what's left of their humanity it's an interesting question to ponder for all of belisarius calls scientific gifts perhaps in being one of the adeptus mechanicus being now more machine than man is the one skill that escaped him the gift of instilling humanity for all the emperor's elevated status he certainly managed to instill this quality into the ultramarine's jean sire robute gilman as he did in most if not all of his brothers so why are the primaris seemingly at risk of losing it in truth upon uriel's reunion with passanius the brother who he ventured into the very eye of terror with he felt nothing no joy whatsoever and as this conversation continues we get a measure of explanation as to why from uriel's own mouth i apologize my friend he said you are right the rubicon has made me more powerful i am stronger faster and tougher i think faster too but the cost of that is terrible cold logic that seeks to expunge weakness wherever i see it now with this explanation the argument could be said the primaris are nigh on in danger of becoming nothing more than simple machines thinking only in terms of logical conclusions if this is the effect on ultramarines then by the emperor you've got to wonder what's going on over in the iron hands chapter but regardless passanius here has the perfect answer to his captain if uriel thinks these soldiers are a weakness compared to him then isn't personas too he hasn't crossed the rubicon like uriel he is still the firstborn marine he has always been and uriel tries to object but the logic persanius uses is undeniable and uriel's new logic driven mind is soon stumped for an answer and it's personius's humanity that drives home the point the astartes march into war clad in the finest war gear the imperium possesses they are created to know no fear these militarum soldiers have none of that they get nothing but factory-supplied laz guns and armor and still then they have to overcome their every instinct to turn and run in the face of war and instead they take on every enemy in the name of the imperium and for their emperor that is true courage a true courage the astartes can never possess and here uriel can only nod in agreement it's a real interesting insight here into the price the primaries pay and we may have to begin to ask just what's going to happen once there are no first-born marines left to provide that link between the primaris and baseline humans i mean the firstborn have struggled enough themselves at this over the centuries and again like i said earlier with the iron hands it does make you wonder how other bloodlines are faring such as maybe the salamanders renowned for their humanity or maybe the space wolves who revel in their joy of battle how is this cold logic affecting their chapters and maybe last of all is it a unintended result of being yet further enhanced from the humans they were or maybe is it an intended design by belisarius call instilling his preference for the logic of the machine as always guys leave your thoughts in the comments below it does have to be said uriel does seemingly realize the error of his ways as his journey continues but i think it's undeniable this situation remains a very pivotal one going forward so it's definitely something i look forward to seeing more of but as always guys leave your thoughts in the comments below huge thank you to all my subscribers your support truly means a lot to me it really does and if you're new please consider subscribing to help the channel grow and if you enjoyed this particular vid then why not drop a like on it too but with that said i am off and i'll see you all again real soon

Channel: Wolf Lord Rho

Views: 144,509

Keywords: ultramarines, primaris, space marines, roboute guilliman, primarch, warhammer 40k, games workshop, uriel ventris, belisarius cawl

Id: 7mwNUhUm49U

Length: 18min 0sec (1080 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 24 2021