(OOC: this is the IC thread for the Superhero RP. If you are interested in joining, please see the OOC thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5896. I'll be posting an IC intro to the various NPC factions shortly. However, feel free to start posting immediately.)
The backstory: History preceded fairly normally for many millenia, but starting in the last two hundred years, certain portions of the human population began to exhibit supernatural abilities. It is theorized that such people may have existed earlier, but only became apparent on the world stage due to increasing globalization, increasing population, and a world willing to scientifically investigate such people rather than classify them as witches or demons and burn them or put a stake through their heart.
Initially such beings were often met with skeptisism and/or with fear. Many were killed. Others were imprisoned or became wards/property of the state, used to advance government agendas. Some fought back, eventually leading to World War X, as it was later called. In this conflict, three sepperate organizations of superhuman terrorists or freedom fighters waged war for their freedoms, while other superhumans used peaceful means to advance their agenda. Valhalla opperated mainly in the northern latitudes, Red Eagle operated primarily in the First World, Night Hawk operated in one nation at first but eventually globally, and the Green Cross operated mainly in the developing and colonial worlds. Valhalla and Red Eagle were aiming to establish a seperate state for super humans. The Green Cross was divided on weather to seek equality among "normals" or a sepperate state, but used mostly peaceful means. Night Hawk was the most militant, eventually morphing into a group that sought to genocide all "normals."
Ultimately the war did lead to greater rights for super humans, though not in the way the militants usually intended. The war reached its peak when Valhalla split, one half merging with Red Eagle and the other being consumed by Night Hawk. Shortly thereafter, Night Hawk carried out a psionic attack that left roughly fifty thousand people dead and some two hundred thousand others with sever neurological damage. Shocked and now fearing a ruthless retaliation and escalation, and in exchange for a cease-fire and a semi-autonomous Super state under international jurisdiction, Red Eagle and Valhalla laid down their arms. Night Hawk, subject to sever retaliation for its psionic attack and now going it alone against a united front, disappeared into the shadows.
The new "Super" state was founded on the island of Marda, situated in International Waters. The island is roughly forty miles long and twenty miles wide, oval shaped but elongated at one end with a small harbor at the other. Most of the rest of the island is ringed with cliffs, and it lies in stormy waters, making it difficult to access, even with more modern vehicles than those available at the time it was settled. The "Supers" were allowed to settle there and largely self-govern, but many nations forced all their identified supers to move their, and the island was inhospitable, relying largely on supplies from the international community that were often not forthcoming. Many Supers died from complications caused by the side effects of their powers, or even common diseases and hunger. Their powers eventually allowed most to survive and build a small, if poor nation. However, their was great resentment, as it was widely felt that they were not given even the meager due the treaty had promised them, and that the had only been given the island to serve as a dumping ground for Supers where the rest of the world could then safely ignore them.
However, some progress was being made. Supers who had elected to remain living among the normals had often had difficulty finding careers, but many had made a name for themselves as performers, in film, magic shows, or circuses. A few had eventually parlayed that fame and wealth into a political career, gaining increased rights for Superhumans. On the other hand, many in desperation had opted to use their powers for a life of crime, leading many nations to turn to a greater degree of paranoia, bigotry, and state control. In response, Alvin Waterson, a Super who possessed an IQ of 250 and could manipulate objects' molecular structure (allowing him to perform acts such as turning lead into gold in small amounts), joined with two former collegues from his days as a stage magician; Vera Smith and John Hayward, who could shapeshift and telekinetically manipulate objects/read minds, respectively. Acting under their old stage names, The Alchemist, Mirage, and Mindreader established The White Shield, ostensibly as a private investigative firm but in actuality the first Superhero league. They rapidly became pop-culture icons, recruiting dozens of Supers into their ranks, gaining permission to operate in over thirty nations, and capturing or assisting in the capture of over 2,000 criminals in the sixty years since they came into being, over 500 of those being Supers. The reward and bounty money they brought in, as well as charitable donations, were used to establish over a dozen private schools and hospitals for Supers in a dozen different countries, as well as a law firm specializing in cases of Superhuman rights and Superhuman law in general.
Unfortunately, the conditions on Marda Island failed to improve dramatically, and oppression of, killing of, and experimentation on Supers continued in many nations. This has lead to a sharp rise in Super-related terrorism over the last fifty years, and especially the last twenty. Many fear the possibility of a sequel to World War X, this time fought with modern weapons in a world containing a far larger number of Supers, many more powerful than any known to have participated in World War X. Some would even argue such a war is already under way.
Edit: have added the backstory from the OOC thread.
. Here is the intro to the IC thread, which should establish some of what's going on right now. If no one's still interested, this idea will be put on hold for a later date. Also, I apologise if this sucks, and I know its very long, but I wrote most of it very late at night and I can't be bothered to edit it any more. 
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