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, Pariah, Olympia, 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.

The rules are basically the same as any other. Have reasonable grammar, punctuation, and spelling. No one-liners. No god-modding. No excessive swearing. And above all be cool and respectful to eachother. Players can form IC romantic relationships but please have them be tasteful and fade to black when necessary. The CS thread outlines some guidelines regarding characters in this roleplay. But besides that, I'll try to be as laid-back as possible and will only add stuff here if absolutely necessary.

Name:
Codename:
Age:
Gender:
Place of Birth
Affiliations:
Occupation:
Appearance:
Powers:
Skills:
Equipment/Resources:
Weaknesses:
Psychological Profile:
Biography:

Name: Steven Knight

Codename: Zenith

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois

Affiliations: Occasional partner with Pariah and Olympia. Founding member of the League of Heroes.

Occupation: Novelist

Appearance:

Civillian



Costume. Also includes a concealing blue-colored domino mask.

Powers: Super-strength, speed, durability, reflexes, and stamina. Flight. Heat Vision. Freeze Breath. Extrasensory abilities. Superhuman immune system.

Skills: A born leader who can relate to teammates and civilians on a personal level and possesses a gift with words. He has learned to be a diplomat who can defuse tense situations. He is not a natural fighter but learned strategy from Pariah and advanced hand-to-hand combat from Olympia. He is also competent in basic field medicine.

Equipment/Resources: Zenith equips little besides his suit into battle. But on his hardened utility belt he carries a variety of medical supplies for injured teammates or civilians. He is also outfitted with an ear piece and special HUD on a pair of contacts that allow him to monitor the activity of every teammate in the area.

Zenith has the wealth of an average civilian and possesses no extraordinary resources of his own besides those of the League.

Weaknesses: Zenith is not invulnerable to all attacks. Magical and Telepathic assaults will still affect him and the most potent energy projectors or super-strong brawlers can still harm him. Zenith requires oxygen to breath and has no special resistance to gas-weapons besides being able to hold his breath for longer periods of time.

Zenith has a tendency to always try everything in his power to save or spare a life even when it is extremely inconvenient or illogical to do so. He has a highly idealistic viewpoint that can be manipulated. But he is also prone to inner conflicts about whether or not he should use his enormous power to defend justice, at any cost. This temptation to abuse his power in the name of the 'greater good' is a struggle he must face almost every day.

Psychological Profile: Zenith is a hopeful individual who always tries to look for the best in any person or situation. He is courteous and compassionate to his friends and colleagues and is willing to give his life for a friend. At the same time Zenith feels a great amount of personal responsibility for the well-being of the Earth due to being one of the most powerful Superhumans alive. This responsibility drives him to assist the helpless even when if it brings great inconvenience to him. He restrains himself from performing his full powers due to a fear of causing great destruction but he has growing impulses to try and bring global peace to the Earth by unleashing himself.

Biography: Steven Knight was born as the oldest son to a young couple in Chicago. From a young age he learned to exercise a great amount of personal responsibility over his younger siblings. He was not an especially outgoing or athletic student but was a keen reader all throughout his school years. This resulted in being somewhat bullied by other children in elementary school for being a 'book worm', and Steven often had to try and turn the other cheek with mixed results. He formed a kinship with other students who were true outcasts and was known for being able to make friends with almost anyone leading to the great amount of personal empathy he holds today. Comic book heroes like Superman were his childhood heroes.

Steven had an unremarkable high school and college career but pursued his dream of becoming a renowned writer. He was half-way through writing his first novel, in the JFK International Airport when the Awakening occurred. When he regained his senses he realized he could hear and see things he shouldn't have been able to. With his superhuman vision he saw a malfunctioning airliner on a collision course with the airport. Desperate to do anything, he ran outside the terminal towards the airliner and found something incredible. His childhood love of Superman had given him a great gift due to the Awakening. He found he could fly. Steven flew right at the airliner and just like his idols found he could actually hold his own against it.

With his remarkable new strength he landed the plane to safety and was one of the first Superheroes. He hurriedly slapped together his first costume and began mitigating the massive crisis area that was New York City. He was joined by other Metahumans and Supernaturals and naturally assumed a leadership role. Their first encounter with a super-villain was a super-strong robber that used the chaos to break into banks. Zenith's first fight with the short-lived super criminal became engraved into history and cemented his reputation as a hero.

In the years that followed he continued to patrol the skies on the lookout for any danger to the public good. Steven continued his writing career and enjoyed quite a bit of success due to a series of novels that presented dramatized portrayals of the Awakened Superhumans. Eventually Zenith would come into contact with Pariah, New York's mysterious vigilante avenger. At first their contrasting metholodies formed a rivalry between the Metahuman and the 'normal' man. But eventually, after the pair took down a super-powered street gang together they began a partnership and matured into an odd friendship. Zenith and Pariah would later meet the Demigod Olympia and stop a Necromancer from taking over the city. The three heroes were counted among the greatest of the Nation and eventually along with several other established heroes formulated the idea of a League of Heroes.

Of the founding members, it was determined that Zenith would be the face of the League and its leader and he took up the responsibility with gusto. Now he is in charge of an organization that will prove to be crucial in determining the fate of the entire world.

Name: Eric Freeman

Codename: Pariah

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Place of Birth: New York City

Affiliations: Veteran of the Marine Corps, Former CIA Field Agent, Occasional partner to Zenith and Olympia, Founder of the League

He occasionally partners with Strix, and receives most of his gadgets from the scientist-hero Savant. He also uses the Metahuman Technopath Binary as a hacker and technical support.

Occupation: Freeman has a day job as an associate in a large law firm, allowing him to keep a close eye on criminal dealings and providing him with a steady income.

Appearance: Freeman is a fit African-American male, with a height of 5’10 the athletic build of a former Marine but is not overly muscled. His head is kept shaved to his head and his face is clean-shaven, this allows him to don a variety of wigs and false beards for his disguises. His skin is not overly light or dark and he possesses no tattoos or scars that can be seen with a casual glance. His only distinguishing feature is his pair of grayish-green eyes, which he covers with special contacts while undercover.



He sometimes adds a cloak and hood to his costume for intimidation and for particularly dangerous assignments dons a bulkier version of his suit equipped with an exo-skeleton and visor.

Powers: Freeman has no metahuman or supernatural powers, a point of personal pride.

Skills: From his years in the Marine Corps Force Recon, Freeman mastered a variety of skills such as reconnaissance, survival in hostile environments, field medicine, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, explosives, and battlefield strategy. Freeman is skilled in several martial arts including the Marine Corps hand-to-hand program. Freeman learned parkour from a young age and is a gifted athlete, incredibly agile and quick in combat. He has proficiency with melee weapons and is an excellent knife thrower. He also makes great utility out of firearms but is especially skilled with handguns, able to draw and fire rapidly with great accuracy.

As a Covert Operative, Freeman became a master of deception and manipulation, forming daring and complex plots to accomplish his mission. Freeman demonstrated a knack for improvisation, often using unconventional objects as weapons or tools and always seemed to find a way to escape insurmountable odds when necessary. He also had a reputation as a successful interrogator, using a combination of intimidation and psychological manipulation.

From his ‘rough’ childhood in one of the more dangerous neighborhoods in New York, Eric had to learn to mostly look out for himself. This developed his skills of observation greatly, allowing Eric to read people and potentially dangerous situations from the smallest details. Eric learned often had to steal to survive, becoming quick and quiet and learned how to not stand out. He often uses this slight of hand to intimidate criminals by disappearing and reappearing seemingly from nowhere.

Eric was an intelligent student throughout school and picked up on subjects rapidly, as such he has competency in subjects such as chemistry, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering but he is by no means a technical expert.

Equipment/Resources: Pariah’s suit is inlaid with special synthetic plates, which give him limited protection from bullets, melee weapons, explosive force and more. The strong fabric in the suit’s gloves assist him while climbing and the gauntlet features a grappling hook and micro-motor that fires high-tension cables.

The masks built-in visor comes with an advanced HUD with various special filters and a link to the League computer constantly updating him with tactical data. The suit was designed by Savant and Pariah knows enough about it to make basic field repairs.

A special exo-suit version of his gear was also designed by Savant and features more adamant body armor and allows Pariah to challenge some super-strong enemies in direct physical confrontation. It is also fully environmentally sealed and boasts an experimental energy shield. Pariah occasionally implements a cut-down version of the exo-suits energy shield and armored gauntlets with his regular armor.

His cloak is made from a nano-fiber weave and is used to glide short distances, protect him from shrapnel, or stun enemies briefly. The suit feautures several small hidden compartments in which he can store concealed knives and he keeps two handguns, next-generation Kriss Kards, on his person at all times.

His utility belt holds ammunition for his firearms, along with various small grenades which range from regular explosives, to sending electrical blasts, to flashbangs and smoke grenades, and even some which fire metallic caltrops.

He also carries two tactical telescoping batons, a foldable tomahawk, and metal knuckles, which he can slip over his hand and deliver, electrified blows with.

His job as an attorney provides him with sufficent money to fund his real job and besides a series of secret safe-houses in the city and copious amounts of weaponry and false identities, he has no extraordinary wealth. His specially designed car allows him to travel rapidly around the city and comes equipped with light machine guns, rockets, cannons, and other features. He can also call upon a stashed VTOL for aerial missions. Both were designed by Savant.

Weaknesses: For all of his weapons and skills, Pariah is still just a man and he is as susceptible as any other to gunfire and the like.

One of his major drawbacks is his rather obsessive nature. Pariah pursues a goal with relentless determination, but often doesn’t pay heed to the ones who might be affected by his actions. He is stubborn and often fully convinced that he is in the right.

Freeman is very pragmatic and logical, meaning that he has difficulty forming personal relationships and often bottles up his emotions and feelings for nobody to see. He has difficulty trusting people and takes seemingly unreasonable precautions against betrayal, often manipulating people who are his allies.

Psychological Profile: Pariah is a troubled soul, cynical and jaded after his difficult life and upbringing. He often expects the worst out of people and has a hard time accepting the wave of showy and ‘respected’ heroes.

He’ll do anything to get the job done, even using those who try to get close to him. He is not above brutally injuring or even killing to fight crime but prefers to leave criminals in pain, and full of terrifed stories of New York’s Dark Avenger.

Pariah always makes plans, and quantifies and watches everything and everyone he can. He terrifies criminals with his dark appearance and his method of slipping in and out of the shadows, trying to create a mythical figure to send fear into the hearts of criminals.

For all of his darkness, he possesses intense protective instincts and will always defend those he sees as weak and vulnerable from anyone, even Superhumans who could crush him with their powers. He has come to value Zenith and other heroes as close friends and is slowly finding that despite himself he is growing attached to them. Should harm come to anyone he considers a true friend, his vengeance would be swift and terrible.

Biography: Eric grew up in an urban slum in one of the roughest parts of New York City. His father was an abusive alcoholic and his mother was weak-willed and addicted to meth. His older siblings were a combination of in jail, running with gangs, or failing school.

His only true friend was his younger brother Will. Eric often had to look out for himself and his brother with guts and cunning, stealing when necessary and keeping his brother on the straight and narrow.

That changed one day, when Eric had been incredibly sick at home and Will walked home from school by himself. He was the unintended victim of a gang shooting and died in the streets. None of the gangbangers died from the incident. The next day, several gang members, had been severely beaten while they had been isolated and away from prying eyes. None of them knew who did it but over the next few days they fought eachother and eventually Will had been avenged.

Eric couldn’t take life at home anymore and he got his mother to sign forms for him to join the Marines at the age of 16. He forged his father’s signature and never looked back. He became a member of the elite Force Recon and gained the attention of his superiors for his effectiveness in combat and tactical know-how.

When he was twenty, he was approached by members of the CIA to join their clandestine services. He accepted and over the next six years he became a shadow and a legend among the covert operations community, completing all kinds of missions for the United States of America and other nations.

But for all the things he did abroad, he found that at home things were the same. When he was twenty-six, the Awakening occurred and all these heroes arrived to save the day. But his neighborhood and others like it were ignored.

Rising to the challenge, he used his contacts in the government to obtain equipment and left the Agency to become Pariah. Over the next five years he developed working relationships with other heroes and made a reputation for himself as one of the most effective active Vigilantes. Along the way he trained another budding Vigilante and made a partnership with the paranoid hero Strix.

He eventually formed a partnership with the heroes Zenith and Olympia and the trio evolved into odd friends. Zenith came up with the idea of the League and Pariah agreed to become one of the League’s founding members.

There will be enormous burdens to bear in the coming days and Pariah will bear them or die trying.