December 21st, 2017. Exactly five years after the Awakening. Five years after every man, woman, and child had been thrust into complete darkness for five seconds. Fives year after every electronic device on Earth suffered catastrophic malfunctions. Five years after spontaneous storms and earthquakes ravaged the world. Five years after mass starvation, plague, and chaos ran amok.
Five years after the Heroes arrived. Five years after Zenith took to the skies and thousands of men and women were given powers beyond comprehension. The secret magical world that had been lingering under Humanity's notice for hundreds of years has been revealed. The previously unbreakable laws of science have been bent.
Never before has humanity had so much hope. Never before have they been so inspired. Never before have their dreams of heroism and justice been so close to being realized. For now they know that magic is real. Now they know that men can fly. Now they know that not all is lost, and that Humanity has a chance to save itself from greed, corruption, sickness, poverty, ignorance, prejudice, and hate.
But the fate of the Earth balances on a knife's edge. Even as men and women use their powers and abilities to protect Humanity, others seek to exploit their powers for their own dark ends. Criminals wield lightning, fire, and weapons more terrible than mere firearms. Extremists no longer need explosives to spread terror in the name of their cause. Organized religion has been rocked to it's core, as adherents reevaluate their core beliefs. Supernatural creatures pursue dark agendas in the night. Entire nations are broiling in civil unrest. Never has Humanity been in so much danger.
The fate of the world will be decided by the League of Heroes and its actions. All the hopes and dreams of the world rest on the shoulders of mortal men and women. They will either fail and bring forth a Dark Age too terrible to comprehend or they will unite, put aside their differences and become true Heroes.
Chicago, Illinois
December 21st, 2017
12:00 PM
The Hall of Heroes
Steven Knight, the man known to all the world as Zenith, stood inside the Hall watching the crowd massing outside.
"There's a lot more than I thought there'd be."
Eric Freeman, the mysterious and even mythical vigilante Pariah stood next to him, "We've invited almost every Hero in the nation. And the rest showed up anyway. Perhaps part of it had to do with you being the one to send the message."
"You never know. It could be the free food," quipped Ariadne Cristos, the heroine and demi-god known as Olympia. The three of America's mightiest heroes watched as metahumans, supernatural beings, and even a few exceptional normal humans crowded in the pavilion. Large and seemingly endless tables of food had been laid out and peaceful music drifted over the scene, amplified by the Audiokinetic Metahuman Sonata. The air was kept to a comfortable temperature with pleasant breezes by Nimbus. And Evergreen's flowers bordered the pavilion and perfumed the air with their fragrance. The League wanted their debut to be absolutely perfect.
"I do have some reservations about some of the members." Pariah had his face covered as always, but Zenith didn't need his x-ray vision to see the scowl on Pariah's face.
"You wouldn't be you otherwise," Zenith smiled in an attempt to lighten Pariah's mood. It didn't work.
"We have some 'reformed' villains here today, with quite a few strays from abroad. A lot of these heroes are untested and have been almost strictly street-level until now. And almost all of them are unstable. We haven't worked with a quarter of them. This is to be our League? A bunch of misfits and outsiders? They'll get killed in a few days of active duty. If they don't do it themselves."
Zenith nodded solemnly, "That may be true. But they are what we have to work with. If they can't do it, then no one can. Besides, that's why you're one of the Instructors."
Pariah grunted, "I'll still have to keep my eye on some of them."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Olympia spoke up, "When are you going to make your big speech anyway, Steven? You need to inspire the troops and all that."
"In a little bit. But first, let's get a look at how they deal with each-other."
The three heroes fell silent and went back to observing the heroes who would be Earth's best hope of survival. Hopefully they'd make a good first impression.
Five years after the Heroes arrived. Five years after Zenith took to the skies and thousands of men and women were given powers beyond comprehension. The secret magical world that had been lingering under Humanity's notice for hundreds of years has been revealed. The previously unbreakable laws of science have been bent.
Never before has humanity had so much hope. Never before have they been so inspired. Never before have their dreams of heroism and justice been so close to being realized. For now they know that magic is real. Now they know that men can fly. Now they know that not all is lost, and that Humanity has a chance to save itself from greed, corruption, sickness, poverty, ignorance, prejudice, and hate.
But the fate of the Earth balances on a knife's edge. Even as men and women use their powers and abilities to protect Humanity, others seek to exploit their powers for their own dark ends. Criminals wield lightning, fire, and weapons more terrible than mere firearms. Extremists no longer need explosives to spread terror in the name of their cause. Organized religion has been rocked to it's core, as adherents reevaluate their core beliefs. Supernatural creatures pursue dark agendas in the night. Entire nations are broiling in civil unrest. Never has Humanity been in so much danger.
The fate of the world will be decided by the League of Heroes and its actions. All the hopes and dreams of the world rest on the shoulders of mortal men and women. They will either fail and bring forth a Dark Age too terrible to comprehend or they will unite, put aside their differences and become true Heroes.
Chicago, Illinois
December 21st, 2017
12:00 PM
The Hall of Heroes
Steven Knight, the man known to all the world as Zenith, stood inside the Hall watching the crowd massing outside.
"There's a lot more than I thought there'd be."
Eric Freeman, the mysterious and even mythical vigilante Pariah stood next to him, "We've invited almost every Hero in the nation. And the rest showed up anyway. Perhaps part of it had to do with you being the one to send the message."
"You never know. It could be the free food," quipped Ariadne Cristos, the heroine and demi-god known as Olympia. The three of America's mightiest heroes watched as metahumans, supernatural beings, and even a few exceptional normal humans crowded in the pavilion. Large and seemingly endless tables of food had been laid out and peaceful music drifted over the scene, amplified by the Audiokinetic Metahuman Sonata. The air was kept to a comfortable temperature with pleasant breezes by Nimbus. And Evergreen's flowers bordered the pavilion and perfumed the air with their fragrance. The League wanted their debut to be absolutely perfect.
"I do have some reservations about some of the members." Pariah had his face covered as always, but Zenith didn't need his x-ray vision to see the scowl on Pariah's face.
"You wouldn't be you otherwise," Zenith smiled in an attempt to lighten Pariah's mood. It didn't work.
"We have some 'reformed' villains here today, with quite a few strays from abroad. A lot of these heroes are untested and have been almost strictly street-level until now. And almost all of them are unstable. We haven't worked with a quarter of them. This is to be our League? A bunch of misfits and outsiders? They'll get killed in a few days of active duty. If they don't do it themselves."
Zenith nodded solemnly, "That may be true. But they are what we have to work with. If they can't do it, then no one can. Besides, that's why you're one of the Instructors."
Pariah grunted, "I'll still have to keep my eye on some of them."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Olympia spoke up, "When are you going to make your big speech anyway, Steven? You need to inspire the troops and all that."
"In a little bit. But first, let's get a look at how they deal with each-other."
The three heroes fell silent and went back to observing the heroes who would be Earth's best hope of survival. Hopefully they'd make a good first impression.