Strange events are no strangers to Paragon City; Zombies, alien invasions, giant monsters and snow beasts are regular occurrences, part of the background noise and flavor of the town. However, in recent days, an anomaly has cropped up that is much more serious than these familiar foes.
Time and space themselves seem to be under strain. Heroes, villains, and citizens alike find themselves moving sluggishly, or suddenly appearing a few seconds ahead or behind where they should have been with no recollection of the lost moments. Stranger still, there are reports of events from out of time flashing into being: sightings of Statesman fighting monsters in Atlas Park, and then both mysteriously vanishing, among others. Even moreso than usual, chaos reigns in the streets.
Many of earth’s brightest minds have begun investigating the issue, and while the exact cause is still unknown, the prognosis is grim. These instabilities are expected to become more frequent, and violent, in the coming months. The inevitable conclusion is that any impacted locations will likely become inhospitable to life as we know it.
In brief; reality is breaking down, and no one is sure how to stop it.
Suspicions and conspiracies are already running rampant; some place the blame on Portal Corp, that their constant fiddling with the fabric of the multiverse has triggered some kind of feedback loop of instability. Others are looking toward Crey, believing that in their typical amoral pursuit of profits at all costs, they finally dealt irrevocable damage to the entire world. Some in the know presume the culprit to be the Battalion, or some other mysterious external force bent on destruction of the world. Many have taken comfort in the safe assumption that this is all just another Nemesis plot.
Thus far, none of these hypotheses have born out. There is no evidence for them, and worse, the damage seems more universal than anything any villain has ever managed to accomplish in the past. It is both meta-temporal and pan-dimensional; Cimerora, Recluse’s Victory, even Ouroboros are feeling the effects, as are Praetoria and the dozens of near-Primal worlds Portal Corp has surveyed.
Although the situation is dire, the meta-humans of Earth remain undaunted. Heroes and villains alike are working tirelessly to find the source of this damage and put a stop to it (or, of course, use it for their own ends). Just because the world seems to be ending does not mean an end to more mundane villainy, however, and just as many heroes have committed themselves to tirelessly fighting the good fight for all of Earth until the bitter end; the signature Heroes of the City, the living paragons of Paragon, are of course taking lead on this. Across the City, they continue to recruit willing heroes to fight the more typical threats that remain; even if some lack the means to save the greater reality, at the very least, they can keep on saving the Overbrook Dam. The fight for the City continues at the street level, even as the end of all things approaches.
Meanwhile, preparations for the worst are already being made. The evacuation efforts from Praetoria are already realigning themselves to this new existential threat, while magical and mundane dimensional travelers alike scour the multiverse, tracking down far-flung worlds that are unaffected by the damage. Most of these ‘safe’ dimensions are so far removed from Primal Earth that Paragon City does not even exist; on many more, the Earth itself does not exist. Instead, strange, exotic worlds of impossible technology or incredible magic lie across these exploratory portals. Anyone capable of dimensional travel is currently being tapped to transport refugees to these new dimensions, in case the damage cannot be stopped or reversed in time.
Others are taking a more long-term approach. Extra-dimensional strongholds are being established - bunkers in the gaps between universes - where scientists, researchers, and mystics can address the problem from a safe distance. Among these strongholds are the Halls of Titan, an open forum that has thus far been attempting to spearhead efforts to restore the stability of the multiverse. They are gathering like-minded supporters in their safe haven beyond the world, pooling resources and information in the hopes of saving Paragon, and with it the world at large. The chances of success seem slim, the challenges apparently insurmountable; but the heroes of Primal Earth are well-acquainted with situations such as these. Even at a time of hopelessness, hope remains.
(( Personally, what I find most upsetting about this whole surprise shutdown of the game is the way it's going to leave my roster of over a dozen greatly-loved characters in the lurch. They still had - have - ample story potential, and I can't stand the thought of leaving them stranded on a dead world. So I wrote this, to explain what's happening in my vision of the next three months IC - with some obvious outs in case the worst case scenario of the game closing down is actually avoided.
I thought I'd share it, just in case anyone else is in a similar situation of wondering what to do about all of their characters in the light of Friday's announcement. Use it, ignore it, print out a copy and set it on fire as a symbol of your rejection of it; it's all fine by me. ))
Strange events are no strangers to Paragon City; Zombies, alien invasions, giant monsters and snow beasts are regular occurrences, part of the background noise and flavor of the town. However, in recent days, an anomaly has cropped up that is much more serious than these familiar foes.
Time and space themselves seem to be under strain. Heroes, villains, and citizens alike find themselves moving sluggishly, or suddenly appearing a few seconds ahead or behind where they should have been with no recollection of the lost moments. Stranger still, there are reports of events from out of time flashing into being: sightings of Statesman fighting monsters in Atlas Park, and then both mysteriously vanishing, among others. Even moreso than usual, chaos reigns in the streets.
Many of earth’s brightest minds have begun investigating the issue, and while the exact cause is still unknown, the prognosis is grim. These instabilities are expected to become more frequent, and violent, in the coming months. The inevitable conclusion is that any impacted locations will likely become inhospitable to life as we know it.
In brief; reality is breaking down, and no one is sure how to stop it.
Suspicions and conspiracies are already running rampant; some place the blame on Portal Corp, that their constant fiddling with the fabric of the multiverse has triggered some kind of feedback loop of instability. Others are looking toward Crey, believing that in their typical amoral pursuit of profits at all costs, they finally dealt irrevocable damage to the entire world. Some in the know presume the culprit to be the Battalion, or some other mysterious external force bent on destruction of the world. Many have taken comfort in the safe assumption that this is all just another Nemesis plot.
Thus far, none of these hypotheses have born out. There is no evidence for them, and worse, the damage seems more universal than anything any villain has ever managed to accomplish in the past. It is both meta-temporal and pan-dimensional; Cimerora, Recluse’s Victory, even Ouroboros are feeling the effects, as are Praetoria and the dozens of near-Primal worlds Portal Corp has surveyed.
Although the situation is dire, the meta-humans of Earth remain undaunted. Heroes and villains alike are working tirelessly to find the source of this damage and put a stop to it (or, of course, use it for their own ends). Just because the world seems to be ending does not mean an end to more mundane villainy, however, and just as many heroes have committed themselves to tirelessly fighting the good fight for all of Earth until the bitter end; the signature Heroes of the City, the living paragons of Paragon, are of course taking lead on this. Across the City, they continue to recruit willing heroes to fight the more typical threats that remain; even if some lack the means to save the greater reality, at the very least, they can keep on saving the Overbrook Dam. The fight for the City continues at the street level, even as the end of all things approaches.
Meanwhile, preparations for the worst are already being made. The evacuation efforts from Praetoria are already realigning themselves to this new existential threat, while magical and mundane dimensional travelers alike scour the multiverse, tracking down far-flung worlds that are unaffected by the damage. Most of these ‘safe’ dimensions are so far removed from Primal Earth that Paragon City does not even exist; on many more, the Earth itself does not exist. Instead, strange, exotic worlds of impossible technology or incredible magic lie across these exploratory portals. Anyone capable of dimensional travel is currently being tapped to transport refugees to these new dimensions, in case the damage cannot be stopped or reversed in time.
Others are taking a more long-term approach. Extra-dimensional strongholds are being established - bunkers in the gaps between universes - where scientists, researchers, and mystics can address the problem from a safe distance. Among these strongholds are the Halls of Titan, an open forum that has thus far been attempting to spearhead efforts to restore the stability of the multiverse. They are gathering like-minded supporters in their safe haven beyond the world, pooling resources and information in the hopes of saving Paragon, and with it the world at large. The chances of success seem slim, the challenges apparently insurmountable; but the heroes of Primal Earth are well-acquainted with situations such as these. Even at a time of hopelessness, hope remains.
(( Personally, what I find most upsetting about this whole surprise shutdown of the game is the way it's going to leave my roster of over a dozen greatly-loved characters in the lurch. They still had - have - ample story potential, and I can't stand the thought of leaving them stranded on a dead world. So I wrote this, to explain what's happening in my vision of the next three months IC - with some obvious outs in case the worst case scenario of the game closing down is actually avoided.
I thought I'd share it, just in case anyone else is in a similar situation of wondering what to do about all of their characters in the light of Friday's announcement. Use it, ignore it, print out a copy and set it on fire as a symbol of your rejection of it; it's all fine by me. ))