Bil’s campaign timeline

Context

This timeline is an original creation. We often call these “homemades” or “homebrewed” – think home cooking or craft beer.

These timelines were usually created to take part in tabletop role-playing game sessions. This specific one provides context for Bil’s Hero campaign, and the numerous homemade characters therein.

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Chronology

The distant past

• Earth is visited by an unknown cosmic force. Noting the large amount of potential psionic  energy in the Earth Biosphere, subtly alters its most sentient land creatures to be able to interact with this field. By manipulation of this field, or by using it to manipulate other forms of energy, they could produce superhuman results.
  However, the trait proves to be recessive, and exceedingly rare.
  However, these powers increase the belief in magic. Such belief actually increases the power of magic on Earth.

8000 BC (appr.)

• Supernatural entities, such as dragons, demons, and deities, detect the power of Earth’s mystical field, and manifest there. The Age of Myth begins.

450 AD (appr.)

• Most supernatural entities of above animal intelligence leave Earth, due to the declining power of magic. Genetic expression of the recessive trait that would be later called the Newgene, Meta-factor, and many other terms, fades to almost nonexistent.

845

• Earth enters a cosmic cloud that totally suppresses the natural expressions of the gene-factor. With fewer obvious signs of “magic”, belief in the real thing dies down, weakening it to the point where the remaining mystical creatures either leave, die, or regress to mundane versions. Most true mages leave, as well, although Abre-Melin, and others, remain.

1907

• Earth exits the cosmic cloud. The effects do not return immediately, but the expressions begin.

1929

• The Scorpion, a masked private detective, begins to demonstrate an indeterminate level of superhuman durability and swiftness, marking him as the first true “super-hero”. He reveals his identity as Warren Tabscott when his secretary is killed by a gangster.

1933

• More and more superhuman adventurers begin to appear. The fact that some of them claimed their powers were “magic” caused worldwide belief in magic to begin to rise.

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1939

• Several Polish metahumans are slaughtered by the Germans during the Blitzkrieg. The world is shocked by footage of an unnamed metahuman vaporized to a skeleton by an energy blast from a German metahuman. The general public realizes what the advent of metahumans would mean to warfare.

1941

• Shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor, numerous American metahumans form what would later be known as the Old Legion, numbering 87 heroes. Among them were the well-known heroes Windwalker, Captain Mask, and the Scorpion. Despite their powers, there is a 70% casualty rate among them, as most of them are unprepared for the horrors of war.
  Their main actions ended up being tying up the actions of Axis metahumans.

1945

• The first Champion, now believed to be an artificial being like the current one, shows himself to be vulnerable to radiation. He dies while escorting the Enola Gay.

1950s

• Metahumans, having returned to domestic crimebusting, once more find themselves in conflict, this time in Korea. Worldwide belief in magic is great enough that some of the magic returns, and with it many magi, and at least one dragon – later known as Dragonlord.
  As McCarthy rises in power, he accuses many prominent metahumans, including Windwalker and the second Scorpion, son of the first. The latter commits suicide in 1961.

1962

• Windwalker and a young hero known as Synergy stage a pitched battle against a powerful, apparantly extraterrestrial being known as Shockwave in the middle of Denver, Colorado. Their victory restores the public faith in Windwalker, but over 40 people have already died, and several hundred rendered homeless. Eight more people died during the actual battle itself.
  It is not known what happened to Shockwave, as he would not be seen again until the late eighties.

1966

• The United Nations forms a metahuman task force, dubbed UNION, to act as a multinational peacekeeping force. Blacksmith, Shen Lung, the first Razor, and the first Golem are charter members.

1972

• Silverlance, at age 12, accidentally unleashes his first manifestation of his “silver lance” into an alcohol rehabilitation clinic. The clinic’s reputation rises dramatically as a result.

1974

• The Death Guard, a group of superhumanly strong and tough mercenaries, begins operations. Elite mercs also join as baseline troops.
  The German villain, Aryan, reveals that he was a creation of Nazi Eugenics and Metagenetics program. His substantially reduced aging rate is pointed to as evidence of the fact.

1979

• Aryan, together with Prime Oversoul, forms Bloodforce as an international terrorist group.

1981

• Bloodforce engages in a pitched battle with the now aging UNION. Only Blacksmith, who doesn’t age to begin with, survives of UNION. Other heroes, mostly solo, join in and eventually drive the terrorists away.

1986

• Various heroes begin a low level computer ant telephone network called the Paragon League, based primarily in Chicago. Most members also function as a hero team, known as the Network.

1991

• Black Lion begins adventuring in Memphis, with his partner, Quarterstaff.
  Stallion takes over coordination of the Paragon League when the Network breaks up, and begins recruiting outside the Chicago Metropolitan area.

1982

• Erich Mendolsson, a.k.a. Silverlance, opens the Mendolsson Memorial Hostel for Displaced Metahumans, in memory of his father, in Denver. Many metahumans, including Synergy and Dragonlord, show up.
• The Paragon League spreads across the country, forming a highly effective network.
• Black Lion forms the Alliance, with Strongarm, Shadowgreen, Snowblind, Springer, Quarterstaff, Champion, and Tracker.
• The Thaumaturge, first student of the returned Magi, begins his Lifequest to aid the heroes of Earth.
• Shockwave returns, and Windwalker, Blacksmith, the second Golem, and the third Scorpion, as the new UNION, drive him back into space. Windwalker, sustained all these years by the energies he possessed, dies of the wounds he received in battle. Nightshadow joins UNION to take his place.

1993

• Black Lion leaves the Alliance to form Power Core with Champion, Rebound, Silverstorm, and Powerhouse. Their first action is to deal with CADRE, and the powerful cyborg known as Earthshaker, who appeared to have a vendetta against Black Lion.
• The New Legion, operating out of the Mendolsson Hostel, stops an invasion of what appeared to be either aliens or demons.
• Doctor Shiva makes himself known, and begins a complex plot to make himself ruler of the South American country called Haven.

1994

• The Paragon League begins shielded communications across the globe, making it the second largest network or organization of metahumans in history. Its members include Stallion, Quarterstaff, Sandstorm, Lynx, Hoarfox, Strongarm, Springer, Rebound, Amber, Flamestrike, Rakshasa, Nightcat, and Heatwave.
  However, even those who were members of other groups kept their membership secret from their teammates, to protect the other members. The exact membership at this time is between 30 and 45.
• Doctor Shiva successfully assumes control of Haven, through apparently legal means. No amount of legal maneuvering can dispute his claim.

1995

• Synergy sacrifices himself to absorb the great majority of a nuclear explosion over Denver, though the concussion of the explosion does kill him. The remainder of the force is dissipated by a force bubble created by Amber.
• The Alliance relocates to Los Angeles after that area is once again threatened by what is now revealed to be the aliens who provided the technology for the cyborg Earthshaker and his CADRE, which is also revealed to stand for Cyborg Army Designed for Reactionary Enslavement/Extermination.
• Power Core is missing in action as of June, along with their headquarters, but reappear in October. None of the members will discuss where they have been.
• Stallion leads a task force, comprised of several members of the Paragon League along with UNION, against a splinter group of Bloodforce bent on subjugating a reunited Germany. Aryan, Grynaught, and Metalshard escape, but numerous other metahuman members of Bloodforce are captured. Nightcat and Crocodile of the Paragon League, the second Golem of UNION, and Harpy and Tempest of Bloodforce are all seemingly killed in combat. Despite the losses, the Paragon League exceeds the Old Legion in size.

1996

• The Paragon League’s existence is revealed to the world by the actions of Doctor Shiva. The resulting awareness in the public mind of just how organized metahumans could become begins a brief witch hunt. It ends when Stallion, Snowblind, Silverlance, Black Lion, and Blacksmith, acting as leaders and representatives for their respective teams, respond peacefully and professionally to an emerging riot at a press conference.
• Doomgiver comes to Earth, and nearly all of Earth’s metahumans mobilize to confront him, including many villains. Most of the metahumans are beaten, but the arrival of Doomgiver’s opposite, Nomad, enables a powerful strike force consisting of Power Core, Blacksmith, Abyss, and Doctor Shiva to drive him away. Doctor Shiva is later seen analyzing the residue of the battle scene, for some unknown purpose.
• The Alliance breaks up for a short time, only to reorganize itself as a mobile strike force.
• The Mendolsson Memorial Hostel for Displaced Metahumans is attacked by the Doom Guard. Dragonlord responds by assuming his draconic form for the first time in the modern age, and incinerates a large number of their non-metahuman operatives, and badly injures several of their metahuman operatives, as he unleashes with his flame breath alongside a blast from Flamestrike. The rest are routed, and swear revenge.

1997

• Soyuz Dva, a group of Russian nationalists dedicated to reforming the Soviet Union, comes into conflict with the Alliance in Bosnia, resulting in a temporary stalemate.
• UNION is disbanded due to Blacksmith’s refusal to allow his team to be used as a military force, as opposed to a counter-metahuman force.
• Doctor Shiva makes a brief appearance in Chicago, facing off against Quarterstaff. Though he demonstrates vastly increased power, he leaves just as he has her down.

1998

• Bloodforce is reorganized along binary lines, and begins placing mole agents on world governments.
• CADRE battles both Power Core, and the heroes who used to comprise UNION, in Long Island. Earthshaker is not present, a fact that makes Black Lion suspicious.
• Doctor Shiva seals off New York with a force bubble. Only Black Lion, Powerhouse, Jetstream, Reflex, and the second Razor are within the bubble of the heroes. A nearly unknown hero, Druid, tries to summon the Wild Hunt, but is stopped by Black Lion. The heroes develop a means to neutralize most of the excess power Doctor Shiva gained from the site of the battle against Doomgiver, and the villain flees to Haven.

1999

• Black Lion finds Earthshaker planning the destruction of the North American continent, and defeats him in single combat.
• UNION regroups as a private force, answering only to a secret benefactor known only to Blacksmith.
• Stallion opens up a web site for the public to contact the Paragon League, whose worldwide member- ship tops 250.
• A Bloodforce agent is discovered in the Senate, thanks to the actions of the New Legion, and a government-wide hunt for the moles begins. Psyche uses her telepathy to help root them out, an action that culminates in a cabinet member, who was revealed as a mole, taking the President hostage. The beautiful psychic easily neutralizes the agent.
• Power Core acts as an honor guard, as the first acknowledged alien allies of the U.S., the Nakerran, open an embassy in NYC.

2000

• We’ll have to see, won’t we ?

By Bil.