History of Brood PBEM Game World

The game world started as a CHAMPIONS campaign shortly after I read a magazine article in which Aaron Allston described the setting for his super-hero game. In short, all my favorite characters from the comics debut in the game world around the same year the were actually first published. They adventure, change, grow and age from there.

This timeline attempts to bash together characters from the traditional DC and Marvel comics universes, with a few third party characters and organizations thrown in. In addition, it has become the dumping ground for all of the super hero RPG material I gathered or generated over the years.

This timeline does not attempt to include all events of universal and Earthly history, just those major events that separate the game universe from the "normal" one (Earth-Prime for those of you who remember the pre-Crisis setup.)

There are a lot of people to thank for contributions to this history, most notably the comic universes themselves. I’ll try to have a credits page up soon, but for now, if you see a contribution of yours, write me.

Note:

At the beginning of the game, the Brood will have access to a great deal of research material and will eventually be able to uncover all of the information listed below. It is trusted that players will not act upon this information in the game before their characters possess the same information. On the other hand, this is what is easily discovered from the material available. Better research will yeild additional information. For those who just have to know every detail (and, I guess, that includes lurkers by default), the more complete history of this game world can be accessed HERE!

The Distant Past

100 THOUSAND YEARS AGO:	The first great human civilization arises on Atlantis. An early conflict between the forces of science and magic is ended peacefully, allowing Atlantis to flourish and achieve levels in both areas far in excess of anything seen again (to date) on Earth.
50 THOUSAND YEARS AGO:	The Skrull empire dumps the results of the a failed attempt to create super soldiers on Earth. These beings become known at the Eternals and the Deviants. Offspring of these beings will later be known as Inhumans. Avoiding contact with man, the Eternals and Deviants bond together and relocate to Titan, a moon of Saturn. After spending some time adventuring amongst the Earth’s super hero community, the Inhumans retire to a special base on the moon.
15 THOUSAND YEARS AGO:	Atlantis is destroyed; first the great city of Atlantis is lost in a battle with an alien invasion force and then the entire island continent is later lost to the floodwaters of the retreating Ice Age. The only remnants of Atlantean civilization are the cities of Poseidonis and Tritonis, who find ways to survive beneath the ocean's surface. Human civilization is sent back to the Stone Age. During this period, Vandal Savage becomes the first immortal human. The loss of Atlantis also removes much of the magical energies remaining on Earth, which destroys the divine forces that sprung from those energies. In their place arise primeval, elemental forces that will eventually be shaped by human belief into "gods".

Ancient History

5 THOUSAND YEARS AGO:	Civilization begins to rebuild itself around the world. It is in these early societies that godlike forces begin appearing on Earth; the wizard Shazam, Nabu (a Lord of Order who eventually becomes known as Doctor Fate), Rama Kushna and a host of deities such as the Norse, Egyptian and Greek pantheons. The offshoot of homo sapiens known as homo magi is believed to have started in this time period.
1200 BC:	The Amazons of ancient Greece leave "man's world" for the mystical island of Themyscira, deep in the Atlantic Ocean. It is this isolation that allows the Amazons to survive to the present day and re-enter the world in the 1920's.
1ST CENTURY AD:	Far from Earth (in fact, in another dimension) a race of Old Gods dies, giving birth to the New Gods and their two homeworlds, New Genesis and Apokolips.
6TH CENTURY AD:	The great kingdom of Camelot is created in Britain; during its short existence it echoes much of the majesty of lost Atlantis. But as with the loss of Atlantis, the loss of Camelot removes more of the remaining magical energies on Earth. Attempts during the Middle Ages to recreate Camelot fall far short, and magic becomes weaker as science gains a stronger foothold throughout much of the world, though isolated pockets where magic remains strong can be found up through the 20th century.
15TH CENTURY AD:	The world becomes so inhospitable to magical creatures that many leave the Earth plane forever, travelling to other dimensions where magic remains strong. One such group settles the Gemworld.

The 20th Century

1932:	Herbert Wyndham invents human evolutionary technology at Corneall University. He quietly leaves and opens a private lab.
1935:	A mystic group known as the Seven sends Dr. Occult into the world to combat an increase in evil of a magical nature. Dr. Occult becomes the first in a long line of "Mystery Men" to appear in the 1930's (and probably the first member of the "Trenchcoat Brigade".).
1938:	The Golden Age of Heroes truly begins with the appearances of the Flash I and the Crimson Avenger. While the Crimson Avenger falls under the description of a "Mystery Man", the Flash becomes the world's first "superhero".
1939:	Public debut of Batman I (Bruce Wayne) in Gotham City. Public debut of Superman I (Charles Kent) in Cleveland.
1940:	Herbert Wyndham founds the Wundagore complex on the mountain in Transia. He begins new research deeper into human evolution. First Appearance of the Justice Society (Flash I, Hourman I, Captain America, Sandman, Green Lantern I, Hawkman I, Human Torch I, Dr Fate, Atom I, Starman I) Spear of Destiny used in ritual to keep Allied (mostly British at this point) super heroes out of Axis controlled territory.
1941:	Several more superhero groups form, including the Seven Soldiers of Victory and the Freedom Fighters. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the All-Star Squadron is formed, incorporating nearly every mystery man and superhero in America (plus the Sub-Mariner). Through occult means Germany's Adolf Hitler and Japan's Dragon King are able to prevent America's most powerful heroes from entering Axis-controlled territories, preventing the war from being ended quickly.
1942:	Steve Trever crashes his airplane onto the island of Themysyria. First appearance of Wonder Woman (Queen Diana).
1943:	Hiding from the Nazis deep in the bowels of Wundagore mountain, Herbert Wyndham uses his own technology on himself, becoming the "High Evolutionary." He uses his new intellect and powers to secure all the resources he needs as the World War II comes to a close.
1945:	With the end of World War II, the All-Star Squadron is disbanded. Many heroes retire to normal lives though many remain active as crime-fighters and the JSA remains an active organization until it is forced to disband in the 1950's.
1951:	High Evolutionary creates the New Men, founding the Knights of Wundagore. These intelligent beings evolved by the High Evolutionary from various animals.
1952- 1953:	Senator Joseph McCarthy's Un-American Activities Committee accuses the Justice Society of aiding enemy spies, forcing the Justice Society of America to disband rather than reveal their identities to the public. This atmosphere of distrust leads most other costumed adventurers to either retire or stick to the shadows and avoid public scrutiny.
1954:	In response to congressional Superman I goes into semi-retirement, only appearing in extreme need.
1956:	Robin I first public appearance.
1957:	J'onn J'onzz is accidentally teleported from Mars to Earth and becomes the Martian Manhunter.
1962:	Justice League of America forms. Robin I adventures with and sometimes leads the Teen Titans, a group of super powered sidekicks.
1964:	Magneto encounters Quicksilver I and Scarlet Witch at ruins of Wundagore complex. He persuades them to join his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and rebuilds Wundagore as their new base. Inspired by President Kennedy’s challenge to America, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and Sue and Johnny Storm attempt to reach the Moon in Reed’s experimental rocket design. They encounter unusually strong cosmic radiation and are thrown back to earth. The radiation changes them into the Fantastic Four.
1965:	The Doom Patrol sacrifices itself to prevent the destruction of a small town, though most of the team actually survives and resurfaces through the 1980's.* With the sacrifice of the Doom Patrol and the public acts of others, the political climate has changed enough such that super humans are hailed again as heroes.
1966:	John Constantine born in Liverpool, England.
1967:	Dr. Doom (Victor Von Doom) completes his studies and, tying his own advanced technology with ancient mysticism, conquers Latvia. Teen Titans break up, go separate ways.
1968:	Army experiment changes Nathaniel Adam into Captain Atom, hurling him 20 years into the future. Despondent High Evolutionary returns to Earth and seeks out battle with the Hulk as a means of suicide. He is damaged severely, but lives.
1969:	Galactus arrives to drain the Earth of it’s energies. Most of Earth’s heroes that can reach New York (Galactus’s touch down point) are defeated and some killed. The Fantastic Four retrieve the device known as the "Ultimate Nullifier" and it’s threat causes Galactus to withdraw.
1970:	Bruce Wayne becomes Gotham Police Commissioner.
1971:	Recovered, Herbert Wyndham, the High Evolutionary, returns to Wundagore to begin anew. Reed Richards and Susan Storm marry.
1973:	Magneto fights with High Evolutionary over the "Brood" being created from the legacy of today’s heroes. The Knights of Wundagore (with Quicksilver I) drive off Magneto, but are damaged. The fight draws the attention of world intelligence and the Wundagore complex is seemingly destroyed by the unusual alliance of A.I.M., SHIELD and the Brotherhood of Evil. The High Evolutionary is killed, his Brood suspended in development.
1998:	At long last and unbeknownst to the rest of the planet, the Brood awaken….