199X - Second Age Of The Sword
This is as far as history can remember in texts. Stories
exist of before hand, but only as legends, myths, and old old stories.
Known roughly as the 'Second Age Of The Sword', when the earth returned
to a dark period of time. New technology was used in old ways
as battles and wars from centuries past resurfaced. Shrouded
in mostly insubstatiated rumors, few know what exactly happened, but they
do know what happened next.
2015 - The Genetech War
Founded by the multi-national comapny known as Genetech in a world domination
attempt that took the earth by surprise. In one day, it was revealed
that hundreds of thousands of Geneticaly altered humans were amongst them.
This was partialy true, only a few tens of thousands existed, but the rumors
spread and grew, and it's sole purpouse was fullfilled. Fear.
Neighbor turned to neighbor in a bloody battle that claimed many lives.
Fear of anything strange of abnormal ruled peoples lives, to the point
that the Genetech strategy would have reduced the most powerful nations
to mobs of paranoid, armed, raving maniacs. But a Genetech
had tampered too much with the human body. Their experimental
race suffered a catalysmic downfall, the degeneration of their own genetic
programming. Soon, all the Genetech 'spies' were revealled
by their changing eyes or the claws and fur growing almost overnight.
The war was refueled, lead by the United American Nations in a massive
creature-hunt. Genetech retalliated with a new batch of humans
who were designed for nothing but war. These too were too heavily
modified. Their weapons became their downfal, as humans designed
to channel huge sources of implanet Lucent Energy overloaded, becoming
living bombs. Sadly, most of these unfortunate 'volunteers'
for Genetech died, but those who lived rallied under one rule, and captured
New York state and a few surrounding miles of territory. To this
day it exists as a state of disorder as Gene Tech franticaly searches for
a cure to the ailments it inflicted. Ruled by the CEO of Genetech
(the company itself is based on a heavily fortified and geographicaly-extended
Ellis Island), the majority of the city is roving bands of nomadic creatures
who have managed to survive. They do not destroy the ancient
buildings, rather, protect them from decay. No one knows why,
though they are now docile and protective of the city they claimed....they
are not aware of their parent's war or the world around. Antyhing
that enters the city the are instructed to dispose of, no questions asked.
What little information exist comes from the few brave decendants who have
braved the wastelands and made it to a city-state. They rarely
live in our atmosphere too long.
The Genetech facility is operated by pure humans. They do not have cyberspace links known or found to date. And with the level of technomancers over the past years, it is doubtful they have any hidden links at all. Safely assumed to be a self-contained network and a sealed enviornment.
Ellis Island is not really the place people want to break into, and even if they did, it is armed and WELL supplied. The attempt would be in vain. And the attacking party might find themselves as volounteers for the rather unpleasant things Genetech won't preform on their own people.
Covetous of the technology that Genetech had pioneered. The dictators and self-proclaimed leaders which had risen during the aftermath of The Genetech War now sought to expermient with biological processes. The creation of new "versions" of human beings became rampant. The search for the perfect form was an all consuming search. It may have started out with noble intentions, but man's innate nature was too much for him to remain pure. Human greed and lust for power got the better of the leader's of the world. What had been small skirmishes over minor technologies soon turned to a global epidemic of war and in-fighting which spread like wildfire over the globe. Soon all known nations found themselves involved in a fight for survival. It was difficult to determine who was siding with who. One nation fought against another nation one month, and then allied with them the next. It was a war of confusion.
But this was a war unlike any that the world had ever experienced. Biological warfare was conducted on a macroscale. Chemical weapons were standard fare, and the earth suffered for it. What was left of the world's animal population mutated many times over. Hideous creatures from the nightmares of men appeared. They had no care for their hapless creators. Survival was foremost of the minds of the countless mutations--if they had minds that is. One thing was sure though, the mutants were stronger and more vicious than man. And perhaps, this is what saved mankind.
In 2103, mankind came to a realization. The populations of the world were reaping the fruits of their biological insanity, and it was threatening to exterminate the human race. So mankind united and fought back against the abominations which infested his homeland.
But unfortunately it was a war that humans could never win. The mutations which crawled the earth's surface were too powerful, and virtually indestructible. It soon became apparent that man's time on the earth had come to an end.
Only the sudden arrival of the comet saved man.
2104 - The Comet
Too occupied with staying alive, man failed to notice that a Class G comet was on a collision course with the earth. The comet became visible and concerns were raised, but there threat of earthborn menaces was more immediate.
And on New Year's Eve 2104, the comet hit. The shockwave was felt across the world, and it was widely speculated at the time that the earth was shaken from its orbit. A cloud of dust enveloped the earth, darkening the sun for a full two years. In a last ditch attempt to survive, humanity found itself forced to retreat into the depths of the earth. Mankind--the cavedweller once again.
As it soon became apparent, this was to be the event which allowed the human race to survive. The majority of the mutations were dependent on being exposed to the light of the sun on a regular basis. The sun's light stamped out, the majority of the creatures died, giving humanity one last chance.
But the comet was also a harbinger of doom. Beneath the comet's
surface lurked a microscopic organism. The comet's landing allowed
these organisms to be released, unleashing them upon the unsuspecting earth.
A parasite of sorts, the organisms infected the mutations which had survived
the comet's coming. A new breed of mutation arose--a more intelligent
species, capable of learning and adapting for survival. Eventually,
these creatures would adapt themselves with man's technology. Truly,
a new area had begun.
2133 - The Cyberspace Revolt
In 2133, the Technomancers were born. As a combination of
a study of the bodies reaction to being in realspace and cyberspace simultaneously
via 'super imposing' realities, the Cybespace Revolt began.
From the labs of the first Technomancers, they disapeared, subjects armed
with incredible technology and weaponry. Using these and their
own skills, these clever individuals made more and incredibly more advanced
technology that the world had seen. Their revolt was against
any who opposed their idea of a Cyberspace realm for any who chose to enter.
The idea was unified, the way to get there unclear. As the
different Technomancer factions became clearer and clearer, they concentrated
more and more on each other. The Cyberspace realm became a
warzone, and many innocent people were friend for fear of being a rival
technomancer in disguise. Finally, a young man entered Cyberspace
with only an antiquated VR bodyset. Immune to the Technomancers digital
attacks, and too far away to be attacked physicaly, he wrecked enough havok
to be heard. He instigated the Crystal Realm, a seperate cyberspace
for the Technomancers and their groups. The rest of Cyberspace
could be traversed by any, Technomancers and not, but none could be attacked
as in the revolt. The Technomancers eagerly agreed, and to
this day, very few people are attacked in Cyberspace. The Technomancers,
free-willed and loosely organized, have little interest in the destruction
of anything, but revel in their own personal exploits of information and
data manipulation. The Cyberspace Revolt laster approximately
10 years from begining to end, though the heaviest fighting was done in
the last 2 years. It also paved the way for the instigation
of a standard Cyberrealm as a way for people to traverse huge spaceswithout
the danger of the remaining Genetech nasties.
2111-2195 - The Exodus
Earth is gone. Very little remains as a reminder of what once was. Now, after all the war and disaster, the nations begin to crumble and people realize with horrifying certainty that there is definet safety in numbers. Cities become megalopolises of humanity, the vast distances left traveled by only the bravest of men, and they are armed well. The remainder of the space is now inhabited by wildlife. Wild jungles may have 2 miles of broken hiway as a sole reminder of what was once there. The cities themselves have become jungles of sorts. Towering monuments of glass and steel, with a labryinth of streets below. And huge expanses of shopping centers. Services are bought and sold from Data-thieves to Mercenaries in daylight. Few governments remain, the will to survive has united most of humanity.
