Post by Stark on Oct 15, 2009 22:48:57 GMT -5
"So many times already had our world been subjected to fear of ancient prophecies and legends that predicted the destruction of the world as we knew it, or that would bring dire changes to our existence. One would have thought that this would have changed in time, that the modern man would understand that 'tis was folly, that no cataclysm awaited us at any given year. That mankind imagined threats that weren't there or that were much less important in reality, such as the infamous Y2K problem.
...However... the modern man would soon learn that their fears were anything but folly."
-August 17, 2012-
According to the news, an "ancient underground chamber" is discovered in the north-east of the United States. The authorities claim that it was once part of a larger settlement of some amerindian colony, but the site is closed and made inaccessible to the public. Over the next few weeks, the FBI removes anything that could be found on the site, and although nobody is allowed anywhere near the excavation area, a few nosy reporters of more or less renowned newspaper claim that some "mummies" of some kind were discovered in the chamber. The FBI, of course, denied those claims, and in less than a few more weeks, the story was forgotten by the public.
-September 13th, 2012-
An explosion occurs nearby a military base of Massachusetts, destroying three planes and a large hangar. Although the military denies this and blame the event on a "simple accident", witnesses have sworn to have seen UFOs escape the base at very high speed a short time after. Some reporters attempted to link the "accident" with the underground chamber of August 17, due to the proximity of the base with the excavation area and due to the witnesses' claims to have seen large reinforced crates being loaded on the plane that exploded... they claimed the plane that exploded was being loaded with whatever had been found at the excavation site. Of course this was denied as well a few days later, by both the military and the FBI.
-December 21, 2012-
For many, it meant the end days, or a day that would bring unprecedented changes to the known world. For most, however, this was little more than superstition or a joke. Some people prepared themselves for "the Event", while the majority kept living their lives, trying to ignore the few doubts others tried to create in their minds. And then the day came.
At first, it seemed like a normal day enough. As usual, countless people went to work, countless people ate their breakfast, got into their car and drove towards whatever plans they had for the day, some frightened by the fearsome end of times and others amused by the idea that anyone could be frightened by such a nice sunny day. However, that "normal day" wasn't meant to last. For twelve individuals awakened that day a force that had remained silent for eons...
The first hint was the shaking. Earthquakes of various intensities shook the major countries of the world, as energies yet unheard of were freed for the first time in countless millenias. However, what first seemed like a natural occurence soon proved to be something else entirely when people watched the news. 12... beings had been witnessed, in America, Asia and Europe... to be the cause of the earthquakes, or at least to be linked to them. For some reason, those beings- who seemed humanoid despite the bright aura of energy surrounding their bodies- were either attacking the countries into which they found themselves, or trying to protect said countries from their kind. Only later would those beings, who would be known in the future as the "Exalted", be discovered to be former humans empowered by twelve spirits of power that were encased in "coffins" inside the Massachusetts excavation site.
In only half an hour, the battles of the Exalted had caused much destruction where they had appeared. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was turned into rubble by the Exalted later known as Kyras. A forest fire in Canada was started during the battle between Jacob and Fey'ria. A whole city block was severly damaged in Los Angeles after a fierce fight between the vile Ystar and the mysterious Watcher. In a matter of minutes, the world had been introduced to superpowered beings for the first time in known history. As the battles all came to an end, the majority of the twelve disappeared, either by flight or other means, and apparently left Earth for the cold safety of space. Only Jacob, the Watcher, and at least an unknown third remained behind.
But the appearance of the Exalted didn't only damage their surroundings. The energy they released spreaded on the globe, altering reality slowly but surely. For the first time, dozens across the world found out they had powers that exceeded the normal limits of human beings, or even more, that simply weren't supposed to be possible according to the laws of nature. Suddenly, some people would find out that they could fly, that they could breathe in water, that they could outrun cars or punch through steel. A young man in Japan stopped a train from crushing a car with his bare hands, a police officer in Canada recovered from a shotgun wound to the chest in a few seconds. What made one person and not another change was yet unclear, but the facts were there... something was definitely unusual.
-January 4th, 2013-
Most of the destruction from the initial battles of the Exalted had been cleaned up and restored, part of which with the help of none other than Jacob himself. For Jacob had been one of the "good" Exalted, and thanks to him, no one died during Fey'ria's attack on Los Angeles. A discussion with the "man" led to the conclusion that apparently, all the Exalted were supposed to be evil... but that something had went "wrong" and some of them decided to turn against their instincts, thankfully for mankind. Jacob claimed that he was the embodiment of Compassion and Understanding, and that as such, he had an easier time to turn against the vile instincts he had when he turned into "one of them". He also said that his self-appointerd duty was that of guardian of the human species, and that he would help them adapt to the way the world would change.
-April, 2013-
... and change it did. As new superhumans appeared weekly in various countries (for the most part nearby to where the Exalted had appeared, but there was at least one superhuman in pretty much all countries), the world leaders came to the conclusion that something had to be done to ensure peace. Although some countries came to see the rather drastic idea of registering every superhuman and having them work under the authorities' orders, most of them preferred to offer the right to register to those who wanted to, and to force superpowered criminals to do so in order to learn more about their powers and how to make them less of a menace. Additionally, the world's largest countries and wealthiest individuals pooled their ressources together to create the International Security Enforcement Force, or I.S.E.F, whose primary duties was to study superhumans and stop those who would use their powers against humankind.
On another matter, the world soon became aware of an unprecedented amount of paranormal events, of the supernatural kind. When questioned on the matter, Jacob (although he repeated over and over that it wasn't his speciality at all) explained that the energy emanating from him and the other Exalted had awakened sleeping forces referred to from most cultures as "magic". Indeed, be they wiccans, practitionners of Voodoo, warlocks or however they named themselves, the so-called magical powers of dozens of individuals here and there seemed to start working on a much more regular basis. Magic, said Jacob, had always been real in some kind of way, but since the Exalted's awakening, it was now very much alive, more so than ever. A secundary division of I.S.E.F, the Supernatural/Paranormal Bureau, was established to monitor and measure magical developments in the world.
As for the citizens of the various cities most affected by those changes, they were dealing with it as well as they could. The authorities had reacted swiftly and well, lessening the fears and doubts that the somewhat sudden appearance of superpowered beings and other supernatural events could have caused. Also, I.S.E.F was doing an impressive job at maintaining peace and helping those in need, thanks to the help and support of Jacob. The old man helped them deal with some threats, and it was he who first suggested the creation of a superhuman special I.S.E.F team to deal with threats the I.S.E.F members couldn't deal with alone.
-June, 2013-
The initial rate of appearance of new superpowered beings had been slowing down in the last months, and the people had finally been starting to really adapt to this new world. Of course, it wasn't always easy, but it was for the most part under control. Not unlike what happened in the comics children often read, teams of "supers" (as most people were now calling those gifted with superhuman powers) had started forming, most of which under the supervision and/or support of the I.S.E.F, and some lone supers had put their powers at the service of their fellow men. Some of them had even started making costumes for themselves, using colored code names and "secret identities" when they were fighting crime or helping people in need.
A young woman, code named "Spellfire", was recognized by several known magicians and witches, as well as by Jacob, as the "Archmage", which was apparently a title of great power within the supernatural community, a title which was given to a "Chosen One" according to certain traits and an unusually great potential for magic. Refusing to join the I.S.E.F, she nonetheless offered her support should they come across a magical threat they couldn't handle... apparently, being the Archmage meant she had to remain mostly neutral, and thus couldn't join an organization per se. A few weeks later, a group of powerful witches and warlocks from Europe, who didn't believe in the Archmage title to be destined to a Chosen One or another, decided to form a council of 13 mages and elect their own "Archmage", something that didn't really bother Spellfire. As long as they fought the good fight, they could all call themselves archmages for all she cared. The Council of 13 declared itself the supreme authority on magical affairs, and although few people have taken this claim really seriously, the Council has been working even more closely with I.S.E.F than Spellfire has.
-November, 2013-
An accurate approximation of superhumans in the world has led to a conclusion that more or less 80% of the world's superpowered beings, usually known as "Supers" or "Capes" were humans transformed by the energies of the Exalted. Approximately 15% were humans who gained mystic powers and control over the new magical forces active in the world, or beings altered, created or brought into our existence by magical forces... and the last 5% were either people who suffered strange accidents that led to superhuman changes, often known as "mutagenics", the Exalted themselves, such as Jacob or the Watcher... and a few individuals nicknamed the "Avatars" by the newspapers. Avatars were former normal human beings that had been empowered by one of the Exalted for one reason or another. Jacob had turned one person into one, the Watcher was believed to have created at least two... and some of the "exiled" Exalted had been rumored to have created a few, as agents to work their evil in their absence. To this day, I.S.E.F and a few superhero teams are still investigating to know wether this is true or not.
Technology has been making several impressive leaps forward, as high-tech Supers such as Chrome or Techno shared their knowledge with some companies and I.S.E.F. The first "air cars" make their appearance, and space travel becomes much safer than it used to be. The construction of a large city in Massachusetts begins in the area where the ancient underground chamber had been discovered in August 2012, after it was made public that this was where the Exalted spirits had been discovered. The construction firm named the project "Genesis", and worked with Techno to speed things up and make some incredible changes to the buildings and the city in general.
-September 2nd, 2014-
"Genesis City" is completed; I.S.E.F builds its headquarters in the area surrounding the city. Many Supers move there, and it soon becomes the world's official "superhero city".
================================================
OOC: This is the general concept of Genesis. Another "world setting" the likes of DC or Marvel, but with my own ideas and a bit more supernatural origin, as opposed to the massively mutagenic/alien of DC and massively mutants/mutagenics of Marvel.
Comments are welcome, more information will be added when I feel like it, lol.
...However... the modern man would soon learn that their fears were anything but folly."
-Jacob to the Archmage, Genesis City; September 6th, 2014
Genesis
Superhero/Mystic Campaign Setting
-August 17, 2012-
According to the news, an "ancient underground chamber" is discovered in the north-east of the United States. The authorities claim that it was once part of a larger settlement of some amerindian colony, but the site is closed and made inaccessible to the public. Over the next few weeks, the FBI removes anything that could be found on the site, and although nobody is allowed anywhere near the excavation area, a few nosy reporters of more or less renowned newspaper claim that some "mummies" of some kind were discovered in the chamber. The FBI, of course, denied those claims, and in less than a few more weeks, the story was forgotten by the public.
-September 13th, 2012-
An explosion occurs nearby a military base of Massachusetts, destroying three planes and a large hangar. Although the military denies this and blame the event on a "simple accident", witnesses have sworn to have seen UFOs escape the base at very high speed a short time after. Some reporters attempted to link the "accident" with the underground chamber of August 17, due to the proximity of the base with the excavation area and due to the witnesses' claims to have seen large reinforced crates being loaded on the plane that exploded... they claimed the plane that exploded was being loaded with whatever had been found at the excavation site. Of course this was denied as well a few days later, by both the military and the FBI.
-December 21, 2012-
For many, it meant the end days, or a day that would bring unprecedented changes to the known world. For most, however, this was little more than superstition or a joke. Some people prepared themselves for "the Event", while the majority kept living their lives, trying to ignore the few doubts others tried to create in their minds. And then the day came.
At first, it seemed like a normal day enough. As usual, countless people went to work, countless people ate their breakfast, got into their car and drove towards whatever plans they had for the day, some frightened by the fearsome end of times and others amused by the idea that anyone could be frightened by such a nice sunny day. However, that "normal day" wasn't meant to last. For twelve individuals awakened that day a force that had remained silent for eons...
The first hint was the shaking. Earthquakes of various intensities shook the major countries of the world, as energies yet unheard of were freed for the first time in countless millenias. However, what first seemed like a natural occurence soon proved to be something else entirely when people watched the news. 12... beings had been witnessed, in America, Asia and Europe... to be the cause of the earthquakes, or at least to be linked to them. For some reason, those beings- who seemed humanoid despite the bright aura of energy surrounding their bodies- were either attacking the countries into which they found themselves, or trying to protect said countries from their kind. Only later would those beings, who would be known in the future as the "Exalted", be discovered to be former humans empowered by twelve spirits of power that were encased in "coffins" inside the Massachusetts excavation site.
In only half an hour, the battles of the Exalted had caused much destruction where they had appeared. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was turned into rubble by the Exalted later known as Kyras. A forest fire in Canada was started during the battle between Jacob and Fey'ria. A whole city block was severly damaged in Los Angeles after a fierce fight between the vile Ystar and the mysterious Watcher. In a matter of minutes, the world had been introduced to superpowered beings for the first time in known history. As the battles all came to an end, the majority of the twelve disappeared, either by flight or other means, and apparently left Earth for the cold safety of space. Only Jacob, the Watcher, and at least an unknown third remained behind.
But the appearance of the Exalted didn't only damage their surroundings. The energy they released spreaded on the globe, altering reality slowly but surely. For the first time, dozens across the world found out they had powers that exceeded the normal limits of human beings, or even more, that simply weren't supposed to be possible according to the laws of nature. Suddenly, some people would find out that they could fly, that they could breathe in water, that they could outrun cars or punch through steel. A young man in Japan stopped a train from crushing a car with his bare hands, a police officer in Canada recovered from a shotgun wound to the chest in a few seconds. What made one person and not another change was yet unclear, but the facts were there... something was definitely unusual.
-January 4th, 2013-
Most of the destruction from the initial battles of the Exalted had been cleaned up and restored, part of which with the help of none other than Jacob himself. For Jacob had been one of the "good" Exalted, and thanks to him, no one died during Fey'ria's attack on Los Angeles. A discussion with the "man" led to the conclusion that apparently, all the Exalted were supposed to be evil... but that something had went "wrong" and some of them decided to turn against their instincts, thankfully for mankind. Jacob claimed that he was the embodiment of Compassion and Understanding, and that as such, he had an easier time to turn against the vile instincts he had when he turned into "one of them". He also said that his self-appointerd duty was that of guardian of the human species, and that he would help them adapt to the way the world would change.
-April, 2013-
... and change it did. As new superhumans appeared weekly in various countries (for the most part nearby to where the Exalted had appeared, but there was at least one superhuman in pretty much all countries), the world leaders came to the conclusion that something had to be done to ensure peace. Although some countries came to see the rather drastic idea of registering every superhuman and having them work under the authorities' orders, most of them preferred to offer the right to register to those who wanted to, and to force superpowered criminals to do so in order to learn more about their powers and how to make them less of a menace. Additionally, the world's largest countries and wealthiest individuals pooled their ressources together to create the International Security Enforcement Force, or I.S.E.F, whose primary duties was to study superhumans and stop those who would use their powers against humankind.
On another matter, the world soon became aware of an unprecedented amount of paranormal events, of the supernatural kind. When questioned on the matter, Jacob (although he repeated over and over that it wasn't his speciality at all) explained that the energy emanating from him and the other Exalted had awakened sleeping forces referred to from most cultures as "magic". Indeed, be they wiccans, practitionners of Voodoo, warlocks or however they named themselves, the so-called magical powers of dozens of individuals here and there seemed to start working on a much more regular basis. Magic, said Jacob, had always been real in some kind of way, but since the Exalted's awakening, it was now very much alive, more so than ever. A secundary division of I.S.E.F, the Supernatural/Paranormal Bureau, was established to monitor and measure magical developments in the world.
As for the citizens of the various cities most affected by those changes, they were dealing with it as well as they could. The authorities had reacted swiftly and well, lessening the fears and doubts that the somewhat sudden appearance of superpowered beings and other supernatural events could have caused. Also, I.S.E.F was doing an impressive job at maintaining peace and helping those in need, thanks to the help and support of Jacob. The old man helped them deal with some threats, and it was he who first suggested the creation of a superhuman special I.S.E.F team to deal with threats the I.S.E.F members couldn't deal with alone.
-June, 2013-
The initial rate of appearance of new superpowered beings had been slowing down in the last months, and the people had finally been starting to really adapt to this new world. Of course, it wasn't always easy, but it was for the most part under control. Not unlike what happened in the comics children often read, teams of "supers" (as most people were now calling those gifted with superhuman powers) had started forming, most of which under the supervision and/or support of the I.S.E.F, and some lone supers had put their powers at the service of their fellow men. Some of them had even started making costumes for themselves, using colored code names and "secret identities" when they were fighting crime or helping people in need.
A young woman, code named "Spellfire", was recognized by several known magicians and witches, as well as by Jacob, as the "Archmage", which was apparently a title of great power within the supernatural community, a title which was given to a "Chosen One" according to certain traits and an unusually great potential for magic. Refusing to join the I.S.E.F, she nonetheless offered her support should they come across a magical threat they couldn't handle... apparently, being the Archmage meant she had to remain mostly neutral, and thus couldn't join an organization per se. A few weeks later, a group of powerful witches and warlocks from Europe, who didn't believe in the Archmage title to be destined to a Chosen One or another, decided to form a council of 13 mages and elect their own "Archmage", something that didn't really bother Spellfire. As long as they fought the good fight, they could all call themselves archmages for all she cared. The Council of 13 declared itself the supreme authority on magical affairs, and although few people have taken this claim really seriously, the Council has been working even more closely with I.S.E.F than Spellfire has.
-November, 2013-
An accurate approximation of superhumans in the world has led to a conclusion that more or less 80% of the world's superpowered beings, usually known as "Supers" or "Capes" were humans transformed by the energies of the Exalted. Approximately 15% were humans who gained mystic powers and control over the new magical forces active in the world, or beings altered, created or brought into our existence by magical forces... and the last 5% were either people who suffered strange accidents that led to superhuman changes, often known as "mutagenics", the Exalted themselves, such as Jacob or the Watcher... and a few individuals nicknamed the "Avatars" by the newspapers. Avatars were former normal human beings that had been empowered by one of the Exalted for one reason or another. Jacob had turned one person into one, the Watcher was believed to have created at least two... and some of the "exiled" Exalted had been rumored to have created a few, as agents to work their evil in their absence. To this day, I.S.E.F and a few superhero teams are still investigating to know wether this is true or not.
Technology has been making several impressive leaps forward, as high-tech Supers such as Chrome or Techno shared their knowledge with some companies and I.S.E.F. The first "air cars" make their appearance, and space travel becomes much safer than it used to be. The construction of a large city in Massachusetts begins in the area where the ancient underground chamber had been discovered in August 2012, after it was made public that this was where the Exalted spirits had been discovered. The construction firm named the project "Genesis", and worked with Techno to speed things up and make some incredible changes to the buildings and the city in general.
-September 2nd, 2014-
"Genesis City" is completed; I.S.E.F builds its headquarters in the area surrounding the city. Many Supers move there, and it soon becomes the world's official "superhero city".
================================================
OOC: This is the general concept of Genesis. Another "world setting" the likes of DC or Marvel, but with my own ideas and a bit more supernatural origin, as opposed to the massively mutagenic/alien of DC and massively mutants/mutagenics of Marvel.
Comments are welcome, more information will be added when I feel like it, lol.
Now I intend to make CADs for some of my characters here, and probably add a lot of other things. I think something good can be made out of this...
