The Second Vertex is an ancient underground shrine built to serve as the Second Corner of the Machine.
Fictional History[]
Early History[]
A long time ago, a race of super-ancient beings built the Second Vertex of the Machine beneath Table Mountain (the exact geological status of it at the time is unclear).
Some time after the Neetha tribe came into possession of the Second Pillar, their warlocks somehow discovered the entrance to the corresponding Vertex it belonged to, passing the knowledge of its location down through the ages and sending prospective members on pilgrimages to the Vertex.
The Six Sacred Stones[]
While the rest of the team were out laying the First Pillar, Julius and Lachlan were able to figure out the second Vertex's location beneath Table Mountain, and sent the co-ordinates to them. Meanwhile, Wolf's CIEF forces had also learned of the Vertex's relative location, and set about preventing the Minnow's access to South Africa. Once the CIEF had acquired the Second Pillar, the Neethan warlock Yanis volunteered to show Wolf and his people to the Vertex.
Shortly before South Africa was cordoned off completely, Jack West Jr learned that a member of Wolf's team was going to betray them and prevent the Second Pillar from being laid, so he, Julius and Lachlan met up with the Sea Ranger to use his submarine to gain access to Cape Town.
Even as Jack's team began navigating the vertice's traps, Wolf and his CIEF team got to the inverted pyramid first. However, as Switchblade killed Broadsword and prepared to drop the Pillar into the chasm, Jack used a Maghook to swing over to the pyramid and grab and place the Pillar at exactly the right moment. Unfortunately, he and Switchblade proceeded to fall into the darkness below.
After Wolf's men retrieved the Pillar, he ordered his men to return to Cape Town, leaving Alby alone in the Vertex, while Sea Ranger and the twins also prepared to leave.
The Five Greatest Warriors[]
Fortunately for Jack, he was able to use the Maghook to halt his fall and climb back up. After retrieving Alby, they signaled Sea Ranger using vibration waves, who came back and rescued the pair. The team then left Table Mountain to rendezvous with the rest of the Minnows team.
Months later, after the final Pillar was placed at the Sixth Vertex at Easter Island, the Second Vertex beneath Table Mountain activated once again. This time, as the beam of light it emitted struck the Earth's iron core, it was accompanied by the light beam ignited from the other five Vertices, causing a series of harmonic waves that repelled the Dark Sun.
Features[]
The City of Bridges[]
Besides the inverted pyramid, the other defining feature of the Vertex is the city that inspired the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur. All of the buildings are connected by bridges, most of which comprise the trap system, which can be traversed safely by solving the Aristotle riddles carved before each bridge.
In the center of the city is a giant ziggurat which possesses a ladder leading to the vertex's ceiling, followed by indented rungs which lead down to the pyramid's summit.
Inverted Pyramid[]
Like every other Vertex, there is the inverted pyramid of the Machine, set above a seemingly bottomless chasm.
Trivia[]
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