Editing Artifacts of the Primes

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[[File:Artifacts_of_the_Primes_IDW-2019_Issue_34.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"So this orb has a real shiny blue suitcase/Ark of the Covenant/Maltese Falcon sort of vibe, what is it?"]]

Created at the dawn of time by [[Primus]] to battle his ancient foe [[Unicron]], the [[Thirteen]] original [[Transformer]]s employed many powerful weapons and icons in their battles. Many of these were crafted by [[Solus Prime]], the smith of the Thirteen, while others were made by Primus himself. 

Nearly all of them are now considered the stuff of legends, but sometimes legends have a way of turning up again... 

The artifacts with known users include:

{{collist|3|
* [[Alchemist Prime]]
** The [[Lenses]]
* [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]]
** The [[Covenant of Primus]]
** The [[Quill]]
* [[Amalgamous Prime]]
** The [[Scythe (weapon)|Scythe]]
** The [[Transformation cog]]
* [[Liege Maximo]]
** The [[Liegian Darts]]
* [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]
**The [[Requiem Blaster (Megatronus)|Requiem Blaster]] 
* [[Micronus Prime]]
** The [[Chimera Stone]]
* [[Nexus Prime]]
** The [[Chaos Edge]]
** The [[Cyber Caliber]]
** The [[Enigma of Combination]]/[[Infinite Combinatoric]]
** The [[Omni Saber]]
* [[Onyx Prime]]
** The [[Triptych Mask]]
*[[Prima]]
** The [[Matrix of Leadership]]/[[Origin Matrix]]
** The [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]
* [[Quintus Prime]]
** The [[Emberstone]]
* [[Solus Prime]]
** The [[Forge of Solus Prime]]
** The [[Creation Lathe]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
** The [[Blades of Time]]
}}


* Other artifacts with no one user include:
** The [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]]
** The [[Proton Spear]]
** The [[Terminus Blade]]

 
==Fiction==
===Aligned continuity family===
The Artifacts of the Primes were forged by [[Solus Prime]] for usage in the upcoming battle against [[Unicron/Aligned|Unicron]]. They did little to deter to the Chaos Bringer before [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] exposed his own [[spark]] to Unicron's anti-spark, knocking both beings into [[stasis lock]]. In the aftermath, [[Quintus Prime]] used the [[Emberstone]] to revive Optimus while [[Vector Prime]] used the [[Blades of Time]] to form a time-loop around Unicron so as to lock him in stasis forevermore. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}} The more potent of these artifacts would only activate in the hands of [[Prime (rank)|Primes]]. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}} {{storylink|Legacy (episode)|Legacy}}

When the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Rust Plague]] struck the [[Cybertronian colonies]], the inhabitants of [[Neutronia]] fled their world. With the [[space bridge|Space Bridges]] destroyed, they drifted aimlessly in space, eventually finding the [[transformation cog]] of [[Amalgamous Prime]] in the orbit of a [[black hole]]. When they brought the artifact aboard their ships, the artifact's energies caused them to mutate into the [[Mutacon]]s. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

When [[Great War (Prime)|war]] broke out on Cybertron, [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] launched several Artifacts of the Primes into space and onto the planet [[Earth]] for Optimus Prime to eventually make usage of them. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}} {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}} The database containing the coordinates of these relics was raided from the [[Hall of Records]] by the [[Decepticon]]s in the final days of the Great War but they were unable to break the encryption. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} 

When the [[Ark (WFC)|''Ark'']] launched, Alpha Trion indulged in fantasies of Optimus returning to Cybertron with the [[AllSpark]] and other lost artifacts of his brothers. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} During their voyage, the ''Ark'' crew came across several of Cybertron's long lost colony worlds and found the fragments of the [[Cyber Caliber]] which eventually led to [[Nexus Prime]] reforming on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. Simultaneously, Junkion itself was discovered to formed around the gravitational pull of the [[Requiem Blaster (Megatronus)|Requiem Blaster]] which was stolen by the [[Star Seeker]]s and affixed to the [[Tidal Wave (Prime)|''Tidal Wave'']]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}} In a later space battle against the more agile [[Trypticon (WFC)|''Nemesis'']], the pirates were forced to detach the Requiem Blaster after it threatened to overheat and destroy their vessel. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

Unknown years later, Optimus Prime and [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] discovered Alpha Trion's work with Megatron managing to claim the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] only to discover he could not access its power. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}} After Optimus Prime acquired the Star Saber, {{storylink|Legacy (episode)|Legacy}} Megatron took drastic action and stole the arm of the deceased [[Liege Maximo]] to access the Forge. Via the Star Saber, Optimus learned of the [[Omega Key]]s and their potential to revive Cybertron via the [[Omega Lock]]. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}} Upon [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] rejoining the Decepticons, via gifting the Omega Keys to Megatron, {{storylink|Patch (episode)|Patch}} [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] gifted the Forge of Solus Prime to the Autobots who used it to upgrade their [[GroundBridge]] into a Space Bridge. {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}} When Megatron threatened to use the Omega Lock to cyberform Earth however, Optimus destroyed it with the Star Saber. In retaliation, Megatron destroyed [[Autobot Outpost Omega One]], wounding Optimus Prime {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}} to the point of death before [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] used what little power remained in the Forge of Solus Prime to revive him. {{storylink|Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion}} In the aftermath, [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] claimed the Forge as a standard war hammer, {{storylink|Project Predacon}} before it was shattered by [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]]. {{storylink|Evolution}}

Discovering an alternate method to synthesizing [[Living metal|cyber-matter]], the Decepticons began rebuilding the Omega Lock. {{storylink|Minus One}} Once completed, they attempted to use it to cyberform Earth once again only for the Autobots to claim the device and instead use it to revive Cybertron. {{storylink|Deadlock (episode)|Deadlock}}

===''Shattered Glass''===
As [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Mammoth]] and [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]] dueled on the dimensionally-displaced "[[Primax 207.0 Epsilon|Classicsverse]]" Earth, each boasted of possessing an Artifact of the Primes, evil Magnus with the [[Terminus Blade]] and good Mammoth with the [[Origin Matrix]]. When Magnus tried to stab his heroic counterpart in the spark, the Blade suddenly reacted with the Matrix, {{storylink|Distant Fissures}} recharging the Blade. Soon afterwards, [[Nexus Prime]] arrived to take custody of the Star Saber and the Terminus Blade. {{storylink|Restoration}}

===Generation 1 continuity family===
====2005 IDW continuity====
Some of these legendary artifacts, such as the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and the [[Enigma of Combination]], predated the rise of the Thirteen. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} Following the unification of the Thirteen, Solus Prime forged the Star Saber. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} Some believed these artifacts to be [[magic]]al in nature while others thought them merely the products of advanced science. {{storylink|The Crucible}} {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} In truth, these artifacts were, according to [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], more akin to "metaphors made real" with their universe bending powers being beyond the comprehension of modern Cybertronian science. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}}

Following the conclusion of the [[First Cybertronian Civil War]], the warrior [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] launched the Enigma of Combination off Cybertron with it eventually crash landing on Earth. {{storylink|The Crucible}} The only artifact that was known to remain on Cybertron in the era that preceded the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] was the Matrix of Leadership. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}}

Circa 2012, Alpha Trion deduced the location of the Enigma and set out to retrieve it. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} In the process, he sparked a three-way race for it with [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] eventually bringing it to [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]. {{storylink|The Onyx Interface Conclusion: The Obliterati|The Obliterati}}

Though the religious symbolism regarding the Primal artifacts had lessened on Cybertron, they remained venerated on the colony worlds, [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]] in particular. [[Victorion]] eventually questioned Optimus Prime on what the Matrix of Leadership meant to him who revealed he saw it as nothing more than a piece of technology. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}}

Before [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s [[Unicron War|apocalyptic attack]], [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]]'s machinations saw the Matrix of Leadership destroyed. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} As part of the plan to defeat the Chaos Bringer, [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]] harnessed the full power of the Enigma of Combination and used it to connect to the [[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]]. Though he was successful, the strain turned both him and the Enigma to dust. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' Cartoons====
In addition to the Matrix of Leadership, several artifacts were crafted by Solus Prime to help battle against Unicron, such as the Enigma of Combination and the Requiem Blaster. {{storylink|The Swamp}} When Solus was accidentally killed by the Blaster, it was sealed away in [[Primal Swamp]]. {{storylink|Athenaeum Sanctorum (episode)|Athenaeum Sanctorum}} Eons later, the Enigma of Combination caused the outbreak of the [[Combiner Wars (event)|Combiner Wars]], while the Matrix proved instrumental in stopping a rampaging [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. These were ultimately revealed to be part of a grand plan by [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], which ended with him obtaining the Enigma and Matrix for his own. {{storylink|All Things Must Pass}} He later regained the Requiem Blaster, intent on combining the three into a device capable of draining the life from all Transformers and resurrecting Solus. {{storylink|Consequences}} However, these artifacts were removed from the device by a team of heroes before they could complete this task. {{storylink|Megatronus Unleashed}}

====2019 IDW Continuity====
Counting fourteen in total, {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}} the Artifacts of the Primes were said to be forged by Solus Prime and were thought lost after the Age of Primes came to an end, save for the Matrix of Leadership. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}} While some Cybertronians regarded the artifacts as Cybertron's greatest power and glories, others doubted their grandiose history. {{storylink|Light/Star}}

Noted scholar [[Termagax]] was an avid study of the artifacts, and was the one who instructed the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] on the history of the Enigma of Combination when they stumbled onto it beneath [[Rivets Field]]. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 1}} Termagax personally doubted the existence of the Thirteen themselves, suspecting that they had been dreamt up to explain where the artifacts had come from. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}}

After the signing of the [[Nominus Edict]], the fact the Autobot-led senate wouldn't search for the other missing artifacts was one of many points of contention that led to Termagax secluding herself from Cybertronian society. {{storylink|The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two}}

In her partnership with [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], the amoral scientist [[Airachnid (G1)|Airachnid]] began a project to recreate the artifacts within the asteroid colony of [[Hexagon]]. When confronted by [[Scattershot (G1)|Scattershot]]'s team of [[Technobot (G1)|technical specialists]], Airachnid briefly monologued about the project before a battle accidentally sent the five Autobots plummeting into the [[Combination Core]], an artificial [[Enigma of Combination]], from which they emerged as [[Computron (G1)|Computron]]. {{storylink|Light/Star}}

====''Transformers: Earth Wars''====
{{Charstubgames|{{Storylink|Transformers: Earth Wars}}}}

===''EarthSpark'' cartoon===
[[File:Disarmed-TheThirteen.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]

When the [[Great War (ES)|Great War]] broke out on Cybertron, laborer Orion Pax was granted the Matrix of Leadership, ascending to become [[Optimus Prime (ES)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Disarmed}}

Quintus Prime's Emberstone eventually wound up on [[Earth]] beneath the land that would one day become [[Witwicky (town)|Witwicky]], [[Pennsylvania]]. {{storylink|Age of Evolution, Part 1}}

In the modern era, after the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s had come to Earth, the [[human]] siblings [[Robby Malto|Robby]] and [[Mo Malto]] fell into the Emberstone's cave. After knocking it off its pedestal, the siblings replaced the Emberstone, causing it to activate, creating [[Twitch]] and [[Thrash (ES)|Thrash]] from a pool of water and bestowing [[cyber-sleeve]]s upon the humans to guide the newborn [[Terran]]s. {{storylink|Secret Legacy, Part 1}}

When [[Optimus Prime (ES)|Optimus Prime]] was informed how the Terrans had come into being, he recognized the Emberstone's powers from legend, having the Terrans and Maltos retrieve it for him. After he explained its capabilities, the relic was teleported out his hand by [[Skywarp (ES)|Skywarp]]. After it had been returned to the Maltos, Optimus ordered them to retreat and protect it. Falling back to the cave, the family, outnumbered by [[Arachnamech]]s, appealed to Quintus for aid. Heeding their call, the Emberstone created [[Hashtag (ES)|Hashtag]], [[Jawbreaker (ES)|Jawbreaker]] and [[Nightshade (ES)|Nightshade]] before [[Nova Storm (ES)|Nova Storm]]'s [[missile]] barrage caused a cave-in. In the subsequent chaos, Mo lost her hold on the Emberstone, sending it flying into the pool. {{storylink|Age of Evolution, Part 1}}

When explaining the power of the Primes to the Malto family, Optimus Prime showed them the Matrix of Leadership and briefly mentioned the artifacts of the other Primes. {{storylink|Disarmed}}

===''One'' Film===
[[File:TransformersOne-SentinelMatrix.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
The Primes wielded various weapons during their war against the Quintessons, such as Amalgamous Prime's [[Scythe (weapon)|Scythe]]. The [[Matrix of Leadership]] was held by [[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]] until his death at the hands of his aide, [[Sentinel Prime (One)|Sentinel Prime]]. The Matrix rejected Sentinel and disappeared, causing [[Cybertron (planet)#One_film|Cybertron]]'s energon supply to dry up. Fifty cycles later, [[Primus]] deemed [[Optimus Prime (One)|Orion Pax]] worthy of the Matrix, transforming him into Optimus Prime. {{Storylink|Transformers One (film)|Transformers One}}

[[Category:Artifacts of the Primes| ]]
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[[Category:IDW (2005) technology]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) technology]]
[[Category:Prime technology]]