maskormods | TIMELINE - THE STORY SO FAR

THE BASICS | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018

The Basics
There's no telling exactly just how long things have been the way they are, although much can be traced back to 1945 after the second World War ended. The Cold War began... and then it never ended.
The Berlin Wall never fell.
The USSR has not disbanded.
All US wars have occurred and been fought and won with the same outcomes, with albeit some differences in the political justifications. Many have been instigated because both the US and the USSR have tried to ensure the other couldn't manipulate another country for their own gain.
Similarly, US and other world events are basically the same, however with different political justification and ramification.
All political figures are fictional analogues of the real-world equivalent and have been since the Cold War; the current president is not Barack Obama but instead someone of similar (though not exact) sensibilities.

As such, the military presence in the United States is hardly what most people from modern 2015 might be used to, but it's hardly without reason. Because of the extended tension between the United States and Russia, in 1984 the United States became nearly a police state, and went through a stifling era of constant surveillance, repression, and censorship. It was a dark time, and thus sparked the first age of the hero.

The first wave of imPorts arrived in 1986, and it was an imPort that first made a splash bringing the degree of government surveillance to public attention. Their silencing brought together a collaboration of efforts between the other imPorts, the native superhero populous, and a then-small-but-insurgent sect of the military and government (your current sponsors) to put a stop to this militant corruption and bring the country back to something that can be called "the Land of the Free" without too much irony. With their efforts successful as of 1990, for years the military and the heroes of America, both native and imPort, worked together in relative harmony. No draft, no police state; simply two factions with common goals to make the country -- the world -- a better place.

About five years ago, everything changed... the year 2008 is etched in blood to the history books. Seven imPorts, mostly teen heroes, died in a disaster; a USSR mastermind (with precarious allegiance to his country) threatened the United States with a Death Ray and these imPorts were sent to scout out his private island ("Death Island") for information. Unbeknownst to them, he was there, waiting, and killed them all. The US military and their heroes shortly thereafter apprehended him for good; an imPort, in a moment of weakness, executed him and were court-martialed for appearances, but no one -- not the government, the other heroes, or the native civilians -- blamed them for it, given the circumstances. They were found innocent.

A native superhero retired very publicly, accusing the military of sending the dead imPorts off on a suicide mission, accusing of them of engineering this supervillain of ping-ponging loyalties to begin with as a pawn to make the current stronghold -- again, your current sponsors -- look better and tighten their grip on the country's heroes, and of heartlessly sacrificing imPorts to make this happen.

The government countered: No, they said. Although the imPort heroes who sacrificed their lives were allied with government, so were the native heroes who are now turning around and pointing fingers. These imPorts had been, in fact, sidekicks and teammates to many native heroes, and it was these heroes who sent the imPorts on their mission (of which the military, it should be noted, has no record of) thinking that, being imPorts, they were more disposable than native heroes who cannot be resurrected from in the same way. They hadn't known of course that the Death Ray disabled the resurrection process and these imPorts would be dead for good... therein lies the tragedy, but what's done is done.

More heroes retired in outrage, and most of society viewed this as an admission of guilt: Because of the rash and selfish actions of the superheroes (well-intentioned as they may have been), seven imPorts were dead forever. The small but vocal portion of society that didn't was equally outraged, shouting "Conspiracy!" and for calls to arms... but their voices were drowned out by the majority. To side with the heroes now was not exactly considered treason, but it may as well have been. The divide between "vigilante" and "military hero" was born in this conflict, illegal or "unsettled" vs. "registered."

By 2010, many neutral countries had expressed their sympathies or allegiance to the United States in light of this and other crises, which in turn painted a target upon imPorts -- "America's Finest" -- for the US's enemies. After a few assassination attempts -- some successful -- and a few calls of "Conspiracy!" from imPorts themselves (these calls never reaches the public's ears) the government decided it was best for imPorts to go back to their home universes for their own safety while the military reorganized itself to protect both the country and the country's imPorts from foreign enemies.

But that status quo only lasted so long, and in 2014, imPorts began to arrive once more, and haven't yet stopped, which brings us to you. Welcome, hero; how would you like to help save the world?

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The plot of Mask or Menace is one of layers; mystery upon mystery that players and characters alike will uncover to get to the root of the real threat of this world. The past is not as dead as some will claim it is; in fact, uncovering the puzzles of history -- those that have been covered up or those that simply do not rest easily in their graves -- will be how characters arm themselves with the tools and knowledge to really save the world from a threat beyond what the military prepares them for.

The plot does have goals, milestones, and facts that will remain ingrained, but what gets uncovered, how fast, and the impact/fallout thereof is dependent on your involvement. Players will be who truly shapes and breathes life into the overarching game plot, and their choices and participation will be what effects and alters both the game's present and future. Will it be a happy journey or a sad one? An ambiguous one? Will it end at all? The future is in your hands.

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