The Earth was as it always was, a beautiful planet plagued by strife and conflict between the billions of Humans it was home to. Beings capable of both creating indescribable wonders and performing unspeakable atrocities. They lived, they learned, they fought, they loved, they despaired, they hoped, they dreamed, and they died. And that beautiful Earth kept spinning, bearing witness to the marvels and evils of its flawed denizens as they struggled with the profound conflict they carried within themselves.

And beneath the constant struggles of Humanity, another struggle endured. The eternal conflict of beings both fairer and fouler then mortal Humanity. Conflicts for power and control between gods, monsters, and spirits of unimaginable power had been ongoing within the Earth since humans huddled around fire to ward off evil. The beautiful and treacherous Fae played games of enormous complexity with both the mortal and supernatural worlds. Ancient pantheons of gods advanced their own interests and sought to influence and control the mortal world. Vampires of many strains, along with other monsters, preyed on oblivious humanity. The Host of Heaven and the Legions of Darkness fought for the very Soul of every human being. And caught in between these titanic forces were human practitioners of the Art who either defended or exploited Humanity, half-bloods who straddled the line between the Mortal and Supernatural world, and shadowy organizations of influential and secretive mortals who pursued their own agendas.

As humans steadily advanced through the ages, the forces of the Supernatural world weaved their influence over Humanity. For ages the unsuspecting humans were subject to the whims of enigmatic entities and monstrosities, with a scant number of Supernatural defenders. It seemed as if Humanity would always be under the thumb of Gods and Monsters, and they would never even know it. Until the series of events that the Supernatural world would call the Awakening, changed absolutely everything.

The Humans had slowly began advancing in knowledge and technology, achieving miracles that had previously only been attributed to Magic. Higher rates of children with enormous intellect or artistic creativity were born year after year. The number of human children born with magical talent or minor supernatural ability multiplied exponentially, and the White Fellowship of Sorcerers became more equipped to defend Humanity. More and more half-bloods were born as ancient mythical bloodlines reasserted themselves and children born of Fae, Vampire, or any number of mythical beings appeared and developed strange abilities.

The Celestial Pantheons and other Great Powers began seeding more and more of their godly blood-lines among the Humans, gifting or cursing their children with their power. The Heavenly Host blessed more and more ordinary men and women with divine gifts and insight to combat the growing legions of the followers of Darkness. Certain Governments and Secretive Organizations became aware of the secret world beneath their noses, and began gathering intelligence and developing weapons to combat these potential threats. The magical world slowly became less and less secretive as magical conflict began spilling more and more into the mortal realm. And finally on December 21st, 2012, everything changed.

No one, mortal or mythical being can say for certain what caused the Awakening. All anyone can say for certain is that it was the day when the Heroes were born. For a period of five seconds the majority of mortal humanity became blind and deaf to the world. The magical entities and a few humans experienced a brilliant flash of light that seemed to come from nowhere and encompassed everywhere, along with a sound so loud it seemed as if the entire world had been beaten like a drum. Every electronic device on Earth experienced malfunctions, and several tsunamis, hurricanes, and other natural disasters appeared out of nowhere. The world plunged into temporary chaos in the aftermath. Suddenly mortals began Manifesting incredible abilities of immense power.

A woman grew enormous crops of fruits and vegetables to feed the starving in Los Angeles as another brought down rain to replenish the reservoirs. Fires in Chicago had been stopped by a woman who redirected the flames and a man who extinguished them with freezing wind. Another man reactivated power in Washington DC with massive jolts of electricity while a woman calmed down rioting mobs with her mind. And one man in New York flew into the air and had enough strength to stop an airliner from crashing into JFK Airport. They were among the first to become Superheroes and they were but the first of many.

The Metahumans as they would be called, saved the world from toppling into destruction over the course of many weeks. They would be aided by the sudden arrival of the Supernaturals, mostly young Sorcerers, half-bloods, and other magical beings who used their mythical powers in tandem with the Metahumans to feed the masses, rescue survivors, and mitigate disasters. And during the global crisis the first Heroes of Earth, also fought its first villains. Metahumans who used their newfound powers to profit from the chaos and Supernatural monsters or Warlocks who used the pandemonium to pursue their dark agendas.

The no-longer ordinary humans donned simple costumes to protect their identities and eventually triumphed over their first adversaries. Many more Metahumans were Awakened and would continue to do so in the days after the Awakening. Some gained powers such as incredible speed while others were mutated and developed traits like wings. Many of them remained in their impromptu roles as defenders of peace, while others pursued success in various fields, or disappeared into anonymity. And many more metahuman and supernatural criminals would arise.

Their costumes became more sophisticated and their powers became even more incredible. Some retained their secret identities while others revealed their secret to the world. Some were highly visible protectors and others were mysterious avengers. All of them used codenames. For a time many citizens were conflicted on if the heroes were defenders and guardian angels or vigilantes and public menaces. Eventually a new breed of heroes and villains would appear. Individuals who had no metahuman or magical abilities, but possessed any number of incredible talents and skills. One such individual would become the shadowy protector of New York City. Another would become a genius inventor who developed next generation technology to fight crime and save lives. And for a few years the Heroes: metahuman, supernatural, or normal, would be mostly disorganized and unregulated while non-active metahumans and supernaturals mostly hid their existence from the public eye.

But the arrival of the Heroes and Villains with the Awakening inflamed many disputes and changes. Religions all around the world began endlessly debating about the meaning of the Awakening and the revealing of the existence of Magic. Some saw the arrival of the heroes as the start to the end of the world. Citizens began protesting or defending the use of anonymous costumed heroes in prosecuting crime and many anti-metahuman militia groups appeared, fearing their government would use metahumans to impose martial law. The criminal justice system faced many questions about the use of metahuman and supernatural powers in the investigation of crime and the enforcement of the law and began forming a series of regulations. Metahumans and Supernaturals begin forming political parties and the American government opens enlistment of Superhumans into the military. America becomes a hub of superhuman immigration as superhumans escape tensions in their home countries.

Metaphobia became a new form of discrimination as some argued for metahumans and supernaturals to be segregated from the normal populace. Others cry for registration of all superhumans. Some superhumans began massive public relations campaigns and used their abilities as platforms to fame and success to the chagrin of many heroes and normal citizens. Divides started appearing between the heroes with powers who were usually beloved by the public and those who did not and were often societal outcasts. Metahumans who were mutated by the Awakening into strange forms are especially looked down upon by many normal humans. Allegations of the government spying and even experimenting on Superhumans arise and are hotly debated.

Criminal organizations and extremist movements began using metahuman and supernatural operatives, and gang violence and armed conflicts began escalating around the world, with increasing terror attacks in the Middle East and drug-related violence in South America and Mexico. Corporate espionage between the economic mega-corporations entered a new super-powered era and many less than reputable businessmen began using super-powered mercenaries. Villains would become bolder and more powerful as their ambitions grew, some seeking profit, others political goals, and a few simply seeking pleasure. Super-powered and insane killers became the new boogeyman of the public.

Many third world nations began edging to civil war as downtrodden populaces suddenly had the power to overthrow their regimes. Other nations become closer and closer to war with their newfound power, Israel especially, finds itself surrounded and North and South Korea are on the brink of reigniting war. Governments begin secretly accelerating programs to create their own superhumans by various means. Tension between the empowered United States and an increasingly autocratic China are at an all time high in a second Cold War. Secret Societies and Supernatural powers see the Metahumans as both potential threats and boons and begin forming their mysterious machinations.

It is the year 2017, and the world faces even more conflicts and challenges to its survival after the Awakening. The Heroes realize the growing need for a well-regulated society of heroes. Zenith, America's greatest hero, and many others put out a call to form the first National League of Heroes. Many heroes will come and they will battle enemies of many stripes and face their own inner demons. And if they should fail to unite, then the world will plunge into Chaos and Destruction that it has never known.