re_alignment | Pillar Event End

A summary for those descending to the Core

When you convene in Prima's temple, the elevator that Hot Rod leads you to is ornate. The doors are bright silver chrome, overlaid with brushed gold filigree. Around the doors are inscriptions, with phrases that only those whom Alpha Trion has gifted with languages would be able to read. Many are energy related, speaking of the correlation between light and life.

One predominant phrase occurs: All are one.

Hot Rod is able to open the elevator, which has a spacious interior. It is not spacious to hold all present, however, so the group is divided into groups: One headed by Hot Rod, one by Optimus, and one by Ventus--the three individuals who are able to open and operate the elevator.

The depths of Cybertron are well-lit close to the elevator where the three groups convene. Aspects of ongoing construction are everywhere--catwalks that extend over vast underground canyons, computer screens integrated into rocky consoles, duct-work and wires vanishing into walls and ceilings that seem both old and new. It is difficult to tell if the ground is encroaching over the technology, or if the technology is seeding itself into the ground.

The first stop is the chamber which Prima showed Hot Rod on a previous trip down. It is a long room accessible through a tight crevice, with smooth floors and a full half-sphere of domed walls. The walls near to the entrance glow almost blindingly, but they are contrasted with the near-complete darkness emanating from the other half of the room: what can only be described as a patch of badlands eating into the light. Its source seems obvious: along the wall there is a crack, and through the crack a tendril is creeping inward, its surface and markings just like the pillar. It's thick, like the root of a tree.

It is also a good place to begin investigation, so Hot Rod and Cliffjumper remain with Skyfire and Pharma, ready to guard while the scientist and medic take a look.

The rest forge ahead after Albert and Rose, who are able to find their way through the confusing underground towards the Pillar thanks to their gift from Vector. The further towards it the group goes, the darker the tunnels and catwalks become, until the only light available is coming from the headlights and runninglights of the transformers or any lights brought along. It is eerie. It is enclosed. It is unpleasant.

Then, ahead, there is the Pillar, breaking through an open cavern and disappearing back into the ground towards the Core. Four thick tendrils sprout off of it--the first 'root' that was seen earlier, and three others which head to places unknown.

The scientists get to work right away, using their equipment to pinpoint what is going on. This work is not easy, however, as the Pillar apparently has guards. As soon as it is approached, sleek robowolves emerge from small patches of moving badlands that come in and out of the room. Knockout, Thundercracker, and Rose guard the main team and keep the wolves bottlenecked away from the scientists, while Cliffjumper and Hot Rod work to keep the ones off the scientists by the tendril. In the meanwhile, Bulkhead and Megatron begin working on a plan to destroy the Pillar without bringing down the cavern, and Optimus helps the scientists when needed.

It is discovered very early on by a communication by Skyfire that the tendrils are going to need to be dealt with before the main pillar will go down, as the roots seem to be releasing the wandering badlands patches. Pharma later refutes this claim, believing that it is the badlands patches which are luring the tendrils, and not the other way around. As such, Deckard, Albert, and Sentinel decide to send out three teams to locate the ends of those tendrils and dispose of them (with Skyfire's team taking care of the one they're working on.)

Before they go, however, Perceptor advises caution--from what readings he can get, he's discovered that there are two conflicting energies within the Pillar. It's acting like a giant straw, the 'dark' energies pulling 'light' energies out of the Core...and any disruption (such as from a Megatron firing a certain cannon at it)will cause those energies to react violently with each other (IE explode).

This happy moment is disrupted by Frenzy, who has been poking around trying to come up with something entertaining to do while science goes on. The Pillar has been offering him something particularly fun, and he decides to take advantage of it...leading to a few moments of disturbance while a suddenly hyper-speed Frenzy wreaks havoc on the room. He's quelled at last, and Albert volunteers to take him back to the surface.

Frenzy's disturbance gives an idea to Jetfire, who was taking readings of the Pillar right when the mini-con touched it. Noticing that the 'dark' energies have to specifically act to nullify the 'light' energy from Frenzy's glyph, he wonders if there might be a way to balance out the energy enough to destroy the Pillar. Starscream confirms that his idea might work, since he remembers that Megatron and he were left alone by the Pillar while it concentrated on Jetfire back in the junkyard.

With this as the new plan, three teams are sent out to Jetfire's theory in a smaller scale with the tendrils: Sentinel and Ven, Deckard and 4, and Starscream and Kevin. Those teams are able to successfully accomplish their mission (with varying distractions), which paves the way for the other team to dispose of the main Pillar.

Optimus and Hot Rod lead the way in volunteering to take the brunt of any bad effects from the Pillar, but they are also joined by Rose and Thundercracker and a few of the scientists. This team 'distracts' the Pillar, while Megatron and Bulkhead begin the destruction of the Pillar, joined by Knockout and Cliffjumper.

They succeed!

The Pillar is cut off from the core, and slowly begins to erode from the Lambda downward...leaving only a stump sticking out of the center of the Junkpile.

For those that are able to make it out of the Core and back to the surface, any status effect inflicted by the Pillar will last until December 8th. Any bonuses it gives will last as long as they are stated within each individual summary.

Keep an eye out on the plotting post for individual fates!

And, beginning on December 5th...

Summary for those on the surface

On December 5th, the ground shakes.

This lasts for approximately ten minutes, and seems to be centered most strongly on the junk pile. Those who are within visual range of the Pillar will see it rumbling, and turning black...

And then disintigrating slowly from the Lambda down, crumbling into dust as if aging too quickly to remain. This continues along its length, until a stump a few hundred meters high is all that is left, old and corroded and dark like soot. Its previous beauty is marred, but hints of its greatness still remain beneath the dust.

Those who are in the junk pile itself will notice a particularly odd sight: The Firstforged, flashing into existance in puffs of black smoke. They are ragged, and scarred, with weaponry in-hand as if they are in the midst of a great battle.

When they appear, they look around, uncertain, ready to attack a hidden foe.

When that foe does not appear, they convene, speaking amongst each other for a few moments. They look the remnants of the Pillar over.

Then, clearly needing rest, they each return to their temples. If approached, they will apologize but will not stop to speak to anyone...most having wounds that need tending to. They will contact everyone shortly, they assure. Right now, they just need a moment of peace.

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