Ok lore time. This time we're getting into the Heralds of Unicron themselves.
So, the Heralds of Unicron are a darker version of an existing religious group on Cybertron called the Children of Primus. They were active prior to the war and would spread the virtues of Primus through charity work and aid organizations. However, their numbers began to steadily decline after the war began, and soon they were wiped out entirely. The Children of Primus are now nothing more than history.
Chronologically, the Heralds are fairly recent, forming during the millennia long war ravaging Cybertron apart. Most of them are former members of other factions who have defected after years of going through pain and trauma. Because of this, Unicron was able to manipulate them into following him by making them believe that he was the answer to ending the war once and for all.
New Heralds are often initiated in a ceremony right at the Shrine which is where Unicron's consciousness resides deep down below Cybertron. From there, they recite an oath renouncing their former selves and pledging allegiance to Unicron before drinking his blood (aka Dark Energon).
Dark Energon is considered a sacred substance within the Heralds of Unicron as it is what granted them their new bodies. However, the feeling after drinking it is not great as it can cause extreme physical pain and mental hallucinations. Symptoms after ingesting include vomiting, delusions, and the feeling of your body burning up from the inside as your energon literally starts to rot. These effects, while excruciating, are temporary as they last for about an hour or two. The physical pain is necessary, however, as it is a sign of the Dark Energon reformatting your body to become a suitable warrior. Usually this is done by adding certain things such as weaponry and/or enhancing certain skills. After that, the new Herald is ready to serve with a much stronger body than before.
Not everyone survives this procedure though.
The effects of Dark Energon vary from bot to bot with some taking it better than others. Side effects of it are mainly mental and emotional, causing things such as significant personality changes, loss of passions or desires, and drastic mood changes. In Sky-Byte's case, he loses his love for poetry and haiku, seeing them as nothing but a waste of time. While this may sound horrifying at first, the Heralds see this as a sign of devotion as having wants of your own is considered to be selfish and taboo. Because of the severe corruption they have undergone, the color of their energon when they bleed is black instead of blue.
As servants of Unicron, the Heralds are expected to follow his every command. Obedience is key to getting on his good side, and any deviation from it will be "corrected" accordingly. They are to honor him as a God and not question anything he says. Heralds are to always be honest and upfront with each other as lying is considered a serious offence. Never ever tell one in front of Unicron as he is omnipotent despite his confinement and can sense deception.
Whenever a Herald dies, the cult engages in ritualistic cannibalism. Heralds are allowed to eat everything but the Spark which is instead offered up to Unicron. It is also customary to leave a small cup of the deceased's energon as well right beside it.
Unicron's omnipotence allows to him to know intimate details about his Heralds and those they come in contact with. Because Dark Energon flows through their veins, he is able to possess them whenever he pleases. He can also control them like puppets and isn't hesitant to dish out pain to them if they fail to follow his expectations.
Rumors of the Heralds began to circulate during the late half of the war after a rise of kidnappings of both Autobots and Decepticons were observed. Because of the secrecy surrounding them and their work, the Heralds existence is heavily debated with some thinking that they're real while others don't. Regardless of their validity, both Optimus Prime and Megatron made a statement to their soldiers denouncing the cult as radical extremists and that their willingness to even think about worshipping someone like Unicron is heavily deplorable. To simply put it, they were enemies of Primus.
The beliefs of the Heralds, however, differ drastically from what the Autobots and Decepticons think they are. In fact, the Heralds actually love Primus as well. After all, it was him who gave them life and a home. During the war, Primus was significantly weakened as the many factions participating in it stripped the planet of abundant resources. This led to Primus falling into a coma and Unicron waking up. Because of this, Unicron was able to siphon energy away from his twin brother and into him instead, enabling him to wake up fully.
Because of Primus's weakened state and the war not ending when it should've, the Heralds believe that Cybertron can be saved by killing it. They hold the belief that Primus has suffered too long and thus, should be put to rest. Once they've located and brought back the Anti-Spark, Unicron will use it to rebuild his body and consume his twin brother once and for all.
Aogh this is so fun.. AAAHhhhhHhHhh if I were desperate enough I’d prob join them…
I don’t even know what so say this is so COOOOOOOL can I steal this/hj
