Impossibilities Timeline

From HOTGT

Contents 1 Distant Past 2 1943 3 1944 4 1945 5 1949 6 1950 - 1999 7 2000 8 2001 9 2002 10 2003 11 2004 12 2005 13 2006

Distant Past

• • The Entity removes all ‘impurities’ from this reality. By doing so, it creates a universe with only one sentient species(human) and without magic, superpowers, psionic abilities, or super-technology.

1943

• October
  • Philadelphia Experiment causes other realities to intrude into this one.
• December
  • Biologist Ronald Castille declares that reports of superhumans and aliens are ‘impossibilities’ on a national radio news program. The term sticks and the emerging class of super beings, magicians, and technological marvels are called Impossiblities by the public.

1944

• February
  • Foo Fighter takes part in the bombings of airplane factories in Germany, marking the first public debut of an Impossibility as a superhero.
• March
  • The first Impossibility team, the Sentries of Justice, forms in San Francisco in response to the threat of Kaija, a giant lizard creature from the sea.
• June
  • Operation: Alpha, a team of impossibilities formed by the US government, is debuted on D-Day at the Battle of Normandy. Their use in the battle is a stunning success, reducing allied casualties to less than ten thousand.
• July
  • Operation: Alpha takes part in the Battle of Guam.
• August
  • A victorious insurrection in Paris is led by Guillotine, a French Impossibility.
  • The Mad Gasser of Mattoon fuels a short lived anti-Impossibility hysteria.
• September
  • The Man Tank, a British Impossibility, takes part in the liberation of Antwerp.
• October
  • The Battling Bull leads the charge when the Allies land in Athens.
• December
  • The Battling Bull leaves Greece when a civil war breaks out, refusing to take sides in a fight he consideres pointless.

1945

• January
  • The Soviet Union debuts the People’s Heroes, an Impossibility group that takes part in the offensive to retake Eastern Europe from the Nazis.
• February
  • Operation: Alpha and the People’s Heroes act as personal bodyguards to Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin at the Yalta Conference.
• March
  • Foo Fighter takes part in the firebombing of Tokyo while the rest of Operation: Alpha, including a newly rejoined Battling Bull, help in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
  • Einstein postulates the multiple dimension intrusion theory after intensive study of data from the Philadelphia Experiment.
• August
  • The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki attract the attention of the Entity. Horrified at the dimensional impurities leaking into reality, the Entity steals the focus of the leak (the American Centurion armor) and seals it in stasis in a vault at the bottom of the ocean. Impossibilities cease to exist.

1949

• August
  • Despite the lack of Impossibilities in the world for four years, the Geneva convention is updated to ban the use of Impossibilities in war.

1950 - 1999

• The time of no Impossibilities.

2000

• August
  • A corporate sponsored exploration group, Myth Seekers, finds the American Centurion armor while searching for evidence of Atlantis. The armor is recovered and the US Navy contacted. An aircraft carrier is quickly dispatched to retrieve the armor. There is little time to test it, however. In the US, Mikili Sokav, descendent of the Battling Bull, gains his grandfather’s powers while being transported through a small town on the way to prison. Declaring himself the Minotaur, he lays waste to half the town in blind fury before Serpent Woman, Code Breaker, and Foo Fighter, retired and living in a nearby city, arrive on the scene. They die during the battle but their sacrifice prevents the loss of additional lives and buys the Navy enough time to put Leon Washington in the American Centurion armor and get him to the scene, where he defeats a tired Minotaur.

2001

• January
  • Responding to a growing public curiosity/concern about emerging impossibilities, the government forms a new branch of the NSA designed specifically for dealing with them. This department will eventually be folded into Homeland Security. They also unveil a new Operation: Alpha to the public.

March

• • Taking advantage of public interest, NBC debuts a new reality show entitled ‘Super Friends’ which follows the lives of six twenty-something Impossibilities in New York City. By the end of the year there will be a slew of Impossibility related programming.
• May
  • Genius inventor Erma Brodie founds the SciTech Foundation. Within two years it will become the world’s leader in Impossibility research.
• September
  • Operation: Alpha, out of country on mission, is unable to stop the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. They do, however, get back to the US in time to stop the attack on the Pentagon.
• October
  • Operation: Alpha is used as a high profile part of the war in Afghanistan. The swell of patriotism extends towards Impossibilities and ‘superheroes’ are given overwhelming public support.
• December
  • New York passes the Impossibility law. A variation of the good Samaritan law, the Impossibility law shields Impossibilities from lawsuits in situations where damage or injury is caused by Impossibilities during the pursuit of felons. The law also sets up a commission to examine cases in which criminals are captured by Impossibilities to determine if excessive force was used or if the use of lethal force was justified. By the end of 2002 almost every state in the union has similar laws/commissions.

2002

• February
  • The Athlete, a non-powered ‘superathlete’ is killed while battling the super terrorist Randomizer. The Athlete becomes the first Impossibility to die in the line of duty since the battle between the surviving original Operation: Alpha members and the Minotaur.
  • The SciTech Foundation invents ExDim fabric, a cloth slightly out of phase with reality. Clothing made from ExDim fabric adapt to Impossibility powers.
• March
  • Major League Baseball bans Impossibilities from the sport. Within the next two months the NLF, NLH, NBA, NCAA, and other major sporting franchises will follow suit. The WWE, however, begins actively recruiting Impossibilities.
  • The SciTech Foundation announces that it will make ExDim fabric available to any Impossibility with a proven track record of heroism free of charge.
• May
  • Operation: Alpha is pulled from Afghanistan. Officially, the reason is that they are no longer needed but many speculate it is because of increasing international outcry against the use of Impossibilities in a war situation.
• July
  • The Cyber Shaman seizes control of the Internet. His plans are foiled by Operation: Alpha.
• September
  • An expose in Salon.com magazine reveals the existence of the Witching Hour, a secretive mystical organization that seeks to protect the world from occult threats.

2003

• January
  • Construction begins to convert Alcatraz island into a prison for I-villains.
• February
  • Despite his best efforts, Florida hero Heat Shield is unable to save the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia.
• March
  • Operation: Alpha takes part in the invasion of Iraq. They subdue Elite Defender, Iraq’s one known Impossiblity, and then withdraw back to the United States.
  • While at a mall in Atlanta, Georgia, three teenagers use their powers to fight off the robotic drones of the Packrat. They are later joined by others and form Teen Strike Force (TSX).
• April
  • The Defense Corp, a not-for-profit group dedicated to providing ‘Impossible solutions to disasters’ debuts. They are based out of New York City.
• June
  • Rick ‘Chainsaw’ Blades, a professional wrestler, retires from the WWE and takes up full time heroing in Boston, Massachusetts. Within three months the crime rate in the Hub drops ten percent.
• May
  • American Centurion stands next to the President when he declares ‘Mission Accomplished’ aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
• July
  • Super Friends has the overall highest ratings on television for the second season in a row.
  • UPN brings suit against the Slayer, a heroine based in California, for trademark infringement. The ruling is in Slayer’s favor and sets a legal precedent for the use of names by Impossibilities.
• December
  • Starlight, a Russian Impossibility, stops a suicide bomber on a commuter train.

2004

• January
  • Super Soldier Six, the first Japanese Impossibility team, debuts. They are heavily marketed, with anime, manga, games, and product tie-ins.
• February
  • Operation: Alpha is sent to Haiti to help quell riots there. During the aftermath the Defense Corp is sent to provide security and humanitarian support.
  • Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has a complete sweep at the Oscars, because some things are too awesome to change.
• March
  • A FBI memo on organized crime is leaked to the press. In it the FBI estimates that one out of every thirty organized crime associates is now an Impossibility.
  • Following two suicide bombings, Israel makes use of Division Seven, an Impossibility anti-terrorism branch of the military. Like most actions in the conflict it is controversial.
• May
  • Queen Dragon leads a bloodless military coup in the small island nation of Tuvalu. The United Kingdom sends a fleet to the island but it is recalled at the last minute for unknown reasons. The UK recognizes the new government of Tuvalu shortly thereafter.
• August
  • Impossibility detective Hourglass quickly tracks down and captures the robbers who stole paintings by Edvand Munch in Oslo, Norway.
  • Alcatraz officially reopens.
• September
  • Starlight and Icelord end the siege at a school in Beslan, Northern Ossetia, Russia. The final death toll is 300, including Icelord.
• October
  • An Impossibility dubbed the Merman by the press enters the spotlight for the first time when he rescues the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi.
  • Mickey Bright, the Super Friend also known as Supersonic, sets a land speed record by running from one end of the US to the other in a matter of seconds.
• November
  • Marissa Montoya, the Impossibility known as Gentility, heals a male Po’o-uli bird, saving the species from extinction.
  • The new government of Tuvalu is recognized by the United States and by the United Nations.
• December
  • The Purity Party is formed, based in Kansas. It has a strictly anti-Impossibility platform and announces plans to present a presidential candidate in 2008.
  • A tsunami devastates much of Asia. Many Impossibility groups, including the Super Friends, Operation: Alpha, the Super Soldier Six, and the Defense Corp, assist in the aftermath.
  • Studies estimate that new Impossibilities are publicly revealing themselves at a rate of about three a month.

2005

• February
  • Shortly after North Korea announces it has nuclear weapons, an Impossibility terrorist organization known as the Planetary Defense Brigade invades the country. Within an hour they have laid waste to the country’s nuclear weapons facilities.
• August
  • The Sharooth, an alien race without a home planet, invades Earth. For a brief period most of the world’s militaries were united and with the help of many Impossibilities, the Sharooth were pushed back. Unfortunately, this so drained resources that there was little aid for the city of New Orleans and surrounding area when Hurricane Katrina struck.

2006

• January
  • Members of the Planetary Defense Brigade rescue trapped coal miners in West Virginia.
• February
  • The Winter Olympics take place in Turin, Italy. This is the first Olympics since the return of Impossibilities and they are banned from competition.
  • An attack by the Planetary Defense Brigade on Iran is repulsed by the Blessed Son, Iran’s premiere Impossibility.
• March
  • Impossibility detective Hourglass reveals that fundraisers for the ruling Labour party in the United Kingdom arranged for secret loans from businessmen who were then nominated for peerages.
  • The Defense Corp finishes operations in the central United States, where seventy tornadoes were reported.
  • Electron becomes the first Impossibility to fly aboard an official NASA mission when he boards Expedition 13, a Russian craft, and journeys to the International Space Station.
• May
  • Pope Benedict XVI undertakes a pilgrimage to Poland. He is protected by Sword and Shield, two Impossibilities in service to the Vatican.
• June
  • Bill Gates announces his support of the Defense Corps with a donation of several million dollars.
  • The Mysteries, an I-Hero team, forms in Port of Paradise despite local laws banning such activity.
• July
  • War breaks out between Israel and the Hezbollah factions of Lebanon. Despite Devision Seven’s involvement, the conflict is still not a clear victory for Israel.
  • American Floyd Landis wins the Tour de France. Days after his victory an article in a London newspaper outs Landis as an Impossibility with incredible endurance. He is disqualified and the second place finisher is announced the winner.
  • Eon, Master of Time, the oldest active I-Hero, vanishes. His fellow teammates in the Paradox Patrol say he has been lost in the time stream.
• August
  • Daisy, one of the world’s only known I-dogs, aids the London Metropolitan Police in finding and arresting twenty-one individuals in relation to a plot to destroy aircraft traveling from the UK to the United States.
  • Much of the world’s population is sucked into a computer realm by the Cyber Shaman, where they live virtual lives for several years. Everyone is returned, physically unharmed, to the real world thanks to the efforts of unknown I-Heroes.
  • The Teen Strike Force (TSX) is disbanded as members go their separate ways in life.
• September
  • The Super Friends rescue six female hostages being held at a school in Bailey, Colorado. The gunman is killed. It is unclear if he shot himself or was killed in a struggle for his weapon.
  • Kaija, a giant lizard monster, makes landfall on the west coast of the United States. He is battled and seemingly destroyed by the Paradox Patrol.
  • Several I-Villains are broken out of Alcatraz by an unknown party using advanced technology. It is the first escape from the island prison since it’s reopening.
• October
  • A new Teen Strike Force (TSX) is founded, led by Phantom Scout, a member of the previous team.
  • The Los Angeles based hero team, LCA, is assaulted by unknown armored individuals. Lights is killed and Camera destroyed. Action is taken to the hospital where he lapses into a coma.
  • Members of the Planetary Defense Brigade rescue a group of Amish school children from a gunman. They remove the gunmen from the school house and then use lethal force. His body is left tied to a nearby water tower. Spray painted overhead are the words: No More Children Die In School.
• November
  • Two I-Heroes, Prairie Dog of Arizona and Cry of Justice of New Hampshire are killed by unknown assailants using some sort of fire or acid based weapons.
  • The Paradox Patrol is captured by Operation: Alpha and placed in Alcatraz. They escape, causing some to question the prison’s ability to hold I-Villains. The Paradox Patrol is later exonerated by the President.
  • Super Soldier Six actually turn a tornado from it’s path, sparing the town of Saroma, Hokkaido from a deadly weather event.
  • The Defense Corp and Olho Grande, a Brazilian I-Hero, save lives during a giant mud-slide in the Philippines.
• December
  • Starlight stops a hospital fire in Moscow, saving hundreds of lives.
  • Gentility uses her healing abilities to save the life of former Chilean President Augusto Pinochet so that he can stand trial for crimes against humanity.
  • Nightwitch, an I-Hero from Alaska, is attacked and wounded by armored figures.
  • The Teen Strike Force (TSX) is attacked by armored figures. Several members of the team are severely wounded. One member, Lone Wolf, is killed.
  • Unknown armored figures, suspected to be involved in the attack on Nightwitch and TSX attack the campus of Kirby Academy. The Paradox Patrol battle the armored figures. During the battle Fortune’s Agent, a member of the team, is mortally wounded.

Heroes of the Great Tree Topics
Impossibilities	I-verse background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules
Phantapunk	Aeryn Background • Player Characters • NPCs • House Rules
Concrete & Crimson	World Background • Scoobies • NPCs • House Rules
Keep Flying	The 'Verse • The Crew • NPCs • House Rules
Polybius	The World • Investigators • NPCs • House Rules
Labyrinth	The World • PCs • NPCs • House Rules