Timeline

Timeline:

 * 3000 BCE: Ancestor appears, the first known metahuman.
 * 2800 BCE: Other metahumans, known as Precursors, begin to appear. Though powerful, they remain extremely rare.
 * 2500 BCE: Landmass that will later be known as Lellorium raised in the Atlantic ocean.
 * 415 BCE: Last known records of the Ancestor’s existence.
 * 1347 CE: The Black Death induces widespread but extremely weak metahuman abilities.
 * 1539 CE: First known Broken appears.
 * 1776 CE: United States declares independence from British Empire.
 * 1861 CE: Civil War begins, Lellorium declares independence from both Union and Confederacy
 * 1893 CE: Faroe Islands wiped out by clash between Precursors
 * 1914 CE: First World War, first extensive use of metahuman units in combat
 * 1925 CE: First Metahuman Rights Act passed in Lellorium
 * 1939 CE: World War 2 begins, all countries involved field metahuman commando units
 * 1946-1949 CE: Metahuman civil rights movement gains massive popularity, major laws passed in several developed nations. Metahuman crime on the rise, first licensed superheroes deployed to fight it.
 * 1963 CE: The first known Desolate appears, and causes massive devastation across southern Europe before being halted by the sudden reappearance of the Precursor Hades. Hades is killed in the ensuing battle, but manages to force the Desolate into a dormant state.
 * 1966 CE: International Peacekeeping Treaty Organization chartered by the United Nations to deal with major threats and maintain peace worldwide.
 * 1974 CE: Sentinels hero team formed.
 * 1979 CE: Criminal organization Gehenna formed.
 * 1984 CE: Ratification of the original Gentleman's Agreement in Miami.
 * 1987 CE: First fall of Gehenna, protection clause of Gentleman's Agreement ratified.
 * 1997 CE: Broken-class entity Volten manifests in Lellorium, Sentinels disbanded after driving it away.
 * 2002 CE: Gehenna rises once more to become the dominant gang in Dusryal. Broken-class entity Kzu-Kzu appears and is slain.
 * 2004 CE: Broken-class entities Aicareus and Elysian both appear in Lellorium, are driven off by local heroes.
 * 2009 CE: 'Mad Hatter' bombings result in over ten thousand deaths, followed by controversial trial of villainous leader Alice. Gehenna makes attempts to expand territory into Fhoster.
 * 2010 CE: Powerful villain Lonsdaleite rampages in Fhoster. Is stopped and killed by heroes, but triggers widespread public outrage.
 * 2011 CE: Broken-class entity Fractal attacks Lellorium, and is successfully stopped with minimal casualties. This event is viewed to have restored public confidence in heroes across the nation.


 * 2013 CE: IPTO makes investigative excavations in oceans around Lellorium, finds traces of ancient civilization. The Precursor Lu Bu is murdered at a high-society ball in Central.


 * 2016 CE: Aurelius Steel is elected Prime Minister of Lellorium. Gehenna begins a major power play in Fhoster, causing devastation across the region.
 * 2017 CE: The Broken-class entity Tyrannus attacks, causing significant casualties and leveling most of Central before being driven away.
 * 2019 CE: Large-scale mobilization of authorities against the villain gang Gehenna, causing the collapse of the organization for perhaps the final time.
 * 2020 CE: Lone villain Angelfire collapses half of Downtown and unleashes the Broken Fractal. Aicareus also reappears, and unknown military forces attack Alcalva Metaprison. Heroes are able to contain Fractal, defend the prison, and drive off Aicareus, but the famous hero Themis perishes in the latter conflict.
 * 2021 CE: Present day.

The Ancient Times:
The original source of metahuman powers is believed to be a single mythical ‘Origin’ meta, known as the Ancestor, who appeared around 3000 BCE. Though its powers and deeds are largely the stuff of legend, its abilities were supposedly more powerful than any metahuman seen since its disappearance in 415 BCE. The raising of the landmass known as Lellorium, a large island off the coast of North America, is attributed to the Ancestor. Following the advent of the original metahuman, others began to appear at various points in history, though they remained relatively few in number. Among these were legendary figures such as Thor, King Arthur, Ares, Amaterasu, Dracula, and others of similar ilk. These early metas, known as Precursors, shared notable qualities such as genetic immortality and extremely powerful supernatural abilities. For the most part, however, they died off or disappeared over time, though rumors persisted of their survival and continuing influence.

The Black Death:
This state of affairs changed in 1347, around the time the plague known as the Black Death was spreading across Europe and Eurasia. Though the virus killed most in its path, some who recovered found themselves gifted with unique paranormal abilities, which rapidly became far more widespread than the mythical powers of ancient times. These powers were all extremely weak, however, and their users were persecuted by the ruling class as witches and sorcerers.

As time went on, metahumans persisted in sizeable numbers, passing their powers on to their children. Most hid their abilities for fear of being hunted or enslaved for them, and for centuries their numbers remained too small and their powers too weak to put up any effective resistance against organizations such as the Inquisition, who had devoted themselves to finding and exterminating metahumans. The effect of metas on world history remained minuscule throughout medieval times and the Renaissance, though their powers slowly grew in potency as they were passed down from generation to generation.

The Rise of Heroes:
It wasn’t until the World Wars that public perception of metahumans began to change. During the massive conflicts of the Great War and World War II, metahumans were drafted in large numbers into the military. By this point, the strength of their powers had grown to the point where they proved highly effective in combat, and as a result metahuman commando units proved crucial in winning both wars. Many powered soldiers returned home as heroes and were celebrated by their countries. With newfound strength and popularity, and numbers greater than ever before, metahumans began to advocate more fiercely for their rights and acceptance, a cause that eventually found great success.

By the 1950s, Metas were far less likely to be hunted or persecuted in most parts of the world, partly due to their social acceptance and partly because they were now strong enough to fight back. Metahuman criminals became more common as those with strong abilities sought to use them for their own gain, and in response heroes arose to fight them, supported by law enforcement and adored by the public.

Several major organizations were founded during this time, including large gangs and cartels, famous superhero teams, and international military organizations helping to maintain world peace and deal with major threats as they arose. By the mid-1960s, terrifying creatures known as Broken and Desolates had begun to appear, giving humans and metahumans alike a common enemy to rally against. Additionally, a few of the ancient Precursors began to resurface, pursuing new goals amidst the rapidly changing political landscape.

By this point, the island of Lellorium had been heavily urbanized, and had declared itself independent from the United States. As archeological evidence was discovered indicating that the island had been created by the Ancestor, metahumans flocked to the city, attracted by the allure of legend and the growing financial opportunities or a surging economy. Many of the most famous hero teams and villain gangs of recent years have been based on the island, and international organizations maintained a constant presence here.

The Modern Age:
In the current era, Metahuman genes have spread to the extent that one in a hundred individuals is born with powers, and still more will discover latent abilities following traumatic events that occur during their lives. Meta powers are generally regulated in the same way weapons are: it’s not illegal to be a meta or use a metahuman power, but using them to harm others is a serious offence that will result in incarceration. The exceptions to this are using powers in self-defense against significant threats and the use of powers by licensed heroes, who are treated as an offshoot of law enforcement with significant freedoms in how they choose to operate.