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The History of the Fifth World
HISTORY LESSONS
SOME NOTES ON THE WORLD OF WAKING THE DEAD 2.0, AMONG OTHER THINGS
This is a timeline that covers the years between the end of Waking the Dead 1.0 and Waking the Dead 2.0, and a few relevant events from the first campaign. Expect additions in the future.
THE YEARS 1999 TO 2012: THE DECADE (AND THEN SOME) OF GIFTS
Psychics and other sensitives have, since 1999, constantly told anyone who would listen that “awakenings” were on the rise – that is, more and more mortals were realizing their real potential as supernatural beings, or being turned over, occasionally against their will, to the World of Darkness. Let it be known that Hunters – mortals who, after getting a taste of what lay beyond the Veil, decided to fight – have always attempted, as best as they can, to prevent the rest of the world from knowing the truth. Furthermore, many supernatural communities were fully aware of the dangers that would come from a full exposure of their activities, and have attempted to police themselves. What set the period of 1999 to 2012 apart was the fact that there were far too many awakenings and turnings for the respective efforts of the Keepers of the Vigil and supernatural communities to hide.
By 2012, members of some of the less radical conspiracies – namely the Methuselah, Zangyaku and Network Zero – began to debate among themselves. Many began to wonder if the sharp increase in awakenings and their subsequent containment problem was some sort of sign; perhaps it was time to be rid of the Veil, and lead the world into a new chapter of its history. These people were, however, a noisy minority, and the leaders of these conspiracies remained silent on the matter.
By 2012, members of some of the less radical conspiracies – namely the Methuselah, Zangyaku and Network Zero – began to debate among themselves. Many began to wonder if the sharp increase in awakenings and their subsequent containment problem was some sort of sign; perhaps it was time to be rid of the Veil, and lead the world into a new chapter of its history. These people were, however, a noisy minority, and the leaders of these conspiracies remained silent on the matter.
AUGUST 2012 • AUGUST 17, 2012: COMMITTEE CONVERGENCE NO. 5,236 • AUGUST 18, 2012: THE TREE AND THE DRAGON • AUGUST 19, 2012: THE RISE OF NETSACH • AUGUST 24, 2012: DEATH’S AWAKENING • AUGUST 25, 2012: NETSACH-ZANGYAKU JOINT OPERATION 001, HOKKAIDO OCTOBER 2012-JANUARY 2013 • OCTOBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 30, 2012: THE ILUMINATI & THE LUMINOUS APOCRYPHA • NOVEMBER 30, 2012: THE FIRST SUMMIT AT FALNER ESTATE • DECEMBER 2-3, 2012: OPERATION NYX • DECEMBER 5, 2012: THE END OF THE AGE OF THE DRAGON • DECEMBER 7, 2012: THE SECOND SUMMIT AT FALNER ESTATE • DECEMBER 21, 2012: THE DEATH NOT OF THE WORLD, BUT OF IGNORANCE • DECEMBER 22 TO DECEMBER 31, 2012: THE BREAKING OF THE VEIL • JANUARY 1 TO JANUARY 7, 2013: PAX DEORUM MEETING 001, THE PHILIPPINE SUMMIT |
THE YEARS 2013 TO 2022: THE FIRST REFORMS
The next decade was perhaps one of the busiest periods in Earth’s history. It is best characterized by four movements initiated by Pax Deorum: the One Earth Policy, the Tabula Rasa Reforms, the Pigafetta Expeditions, and the Gemeinschaftsgefuhl Program. The gist of all four has been listed below, for reference.
THE FIRST REFORMS • THE ONE EARTH POLICY • THE TABULA RASA REFORMS • THE PIGAFETTA EXPEDITIONS • THE GEMEINSCHAFTSGEFUHL PROGRAM • THE SHIELD INITIATIVE • THE NEW DAWN OF THE METHUSELAH |
DECEMBER 22, 2022: PAX DEORUM FIFTH CHAPTER SUMMIT OF 2022
Between the years 2020 and 2022, Pax Deorum saw the largest breakdowns in command and in policy. World support of their actions had dwindled to an all-time low, and violence from all camps – supernatural against supernatural, human against human, human against supernatural – was reaching its peak. As such, an emergency meeting between the members of Pax Deorum was called at Blaece, the first Fifth Chapter Summit in his history: the congregation was only scheduled to meet four times every twelve months, to match the respective four quarters of a year.
The meeting melted down with alarming speed, in spite of Netsach and Zangyaku’s efforts to control the situation. The leaders of both conspiracies together with their allies then looked on, in horror, as the United Nations voted in favor of removing supernatural and conspiracy representatives from the congregation. Then, after the “restoration” of the United Nations “in light of greater human interests”, UN leaders were then forced to declare the allegiance of their countries: they needed to specify whether they were anti-supernatural, pro-supernatural, or neutral. An astounding majority declared, that day, that they were anti-supernatural. This naturally angered the representatives of the supernatural political groups that were still in the room, and caused a mass walkout. Once they were gone, the United Nations requested that the leaders of the conspiracies leave, so that they might be left to discuss “human matters” properly without any “interference”.
THE DARKEST VIGIL (2022-2060)
The Darkest Vigil, as it is now called in Waking the Dead’s history books, was not one single event, but several that espoused many other conflicts, which, in turn, caused several more, in a completely destructive domino effect. As it is impossible to list down everything that occurred within this fifty year period, a chronology of the more “significant” events has been outlined below.
THE ONSET OF THE WAR • DECEMBER 24-30, 2022: THE BLACK CHRISTMAS • THE YEARS 2022 TO 2042: THE PHOENIX WAR • JANUARY 5, 2023: THE LOCKDOWN OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BORDER • JANUARY 7-14, 2023: YGGDRASIL’S ROOTS • JUNE 27, 2023: THE ASSASSINATION OF THE DALAI LAMA • JUNE 28 TO JULY 3, 2023: THE CHINA-TIBET WAR • FEBRUARY 8, 2024: TIANANMEN SQUARE II THE BIG DARKNESS • FEBRUARY 9 TO 28, 2024: THE SECOND SINO-JAPANESE WAR • MARCH 15, 2027: THE IDES OF MARCH • THE YEARS 2028 TO 2030: THE WAR BETWEEN CHINA AND TAIWAN • THE YEARS 2032 TO 2035: THE SECOND INDO-PAKISTAN WAR • THE YEARS 2035 TO 2060: THE HOURS OF GRENDAL • SEPTEMBER 13, 2042: THE RISE OF THE NEW AEGIS KAI DORU • AUGUST 15, 2051 TO AUGUST 15, 2053: THE SECOND KOREAN WAR THE END OF THE WAR • OCTOBER 17, 2059: PAX DEORUM FOURTH QUARTER SUMMIT OF 2059 • OCTOBER 31, 2059 TO FEBRUARY 12, 2060: OPERATION NAUTICAL DAWN • FEBRUARY 14, 2060: THE ARMISTICE AT BLAECE • FEBRUARY 15, 2060 |
2060-2063: THREE YEARS LATER…
New world orders were established the moment the dust settled, all in the hopes of getting everyone back on their feet. The Methuselah effectively became the “United Nations” of the supernatural community, and positioned itself in solidarity with the United Nations of the mundane community. Everyone, mundane and supernatural alike, had learned some hard lessons from the Darkest Vigil. No single group could say that they were blameless, that they had not suffered their own losses, their own tragedies…
…Nevertheless, the ghosts of war don’t rest easily, and hard decisions made in order to solve an immediate problem don’t always hold well, nor do they always turn out to be the right ones in the end. Tensions still run high, both between individuals and between countries. Many mundanes still view supernaturals with fear and suspicion; some of them use this to fuel their actions, small or otherwise, against the supernatural community as a whole. Many supernaturals, on the other hand, feel that “those fucking Deadwalkers” don’t deserve to live after everything that they’ve done – some even believe themselves to be better than the mundanes, because of the abilities they have at their disposal.
Just about everyone was tired of war by this point, and scared of what might happen if something like the Darkest Vigil were to occur again. But that didn’t stopping certain interest groups from trying to rile things up again, for better or for worse.
MARCH 2063-JUNE 2064: THE SECOND RISE OF GRENDAL
This is a timeline made for the purposes of the Waking the Dead universe established in Welcome to the New Age, the online version of the Waking the Dead campaign.
PUT ON YOUR WAR PAINT • MARCH 13, 2063: GRADUATION DAY, BALAMB BATCH 2063 • MARCH 18-19, 2063: AN INTERESTING FLIGHT TO FALNER • MARCH 22, 2063: THE BEGINNINGS OF A BLADE • MARCH 30, 2063: THE FOURTH? • APRIL 1, 2063: NSC-FAL-206304-001 ENGAGEMENT 001 – “HAWKE’S NEST” • APRIL 2, 2063: NSC-FAL-206304-001 ENGAGEMENT 002 – “BLACKOUT” • APRIL 3, 2063: THE DAYWALKER’S RETURN • APRIL 4-5, 2063: WAR HOUNDS ENGAGEMENT 003 – “THE GREEN” • APRIL 6, 2063: FROSTRIVER VISITS THE FALNER ESTATE • APRIL 7, 2063: INQUISITOR LINCOLN HAWKE RETURNS • APRIL 8, 2063: ENGAGEMENT PDVGL-20630408-001: “OPERATION BIG TRACKS” • APRIL 12, 2063: SETSUNA SHINTA’S SECOND RETURN • APRIL 19, 2063: THE VIGIL GOES TO WAR AGAINST TASKFORCE VALKYRIE • MAY 4, 2063: THE LIVING LAND IS CHALLENGED • MAY 13, 2063: THE ASSASSIN RETURNS TO THE SEARING WIND • MAY 31, 2063 TO JUNE 1, 2063: BROTHER DEATH’S FIRST “SHIFT” • JUNE 4, 2063: JESSIAH VICE’S SURVEY BRING HOME THE BOYS, PART 1 • JUNE 12, 2063: THE UNVEILING OF ARCIS • JUNE 17, 2063: THE WINGS OF THERION RETURN TO FALNER • JUNE 25, 2063: PAX DEORUM SUMMIT 2063-001 & OPERATION HECATON • JUNE 27, 2063: KARLO ANTONIO ZOBEL DE AYALA’S INITIATION • JUNE 29, 2063: ENEMIES WITHIN • JULY 4 TO JULY 9, 2063: OPERATION HECATON PHASE 001 • JULY 4 TO JULY 12 2063: ENGAGEMENT PDVGL-20630704-001, “OPERATION GOD SAVE THE KING” • JULY 16, 2063: JESSIAH VICE’S DEBRIEFING ON THE OTHER WORLD • JULY 22, 2063: THE ANGEL LANDS BRING HOME THE BOYS, PART 2 • JULY 27, 2063: OPERATION HECATON PHASE 002, “SHUTDOWN” • AUGUST 1 TO AUGUST 5 2063: OPERATION HECATON PHASE 003, “BRIDGES” • AUGUST 9, 2063: KARMIC RETRIBUTION STARTS SLOW • AUGUST 12, 2063: THE INITIAL APPEARANCE OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE • AUGUST 19, 2063: THE FIRST JLA-MALICE KINGS SUMMIT & WAR HOUNDS ENGAGEMENT 004, “RED MARK” • AUGUST 20, 2063: DEATH’S SECOND “SHIFT” • AUGUST 21, 2063 TO AUGUST 22, 2063: WAR HOUNDS ENGAGEMENT 005, “STILL WATER” • AUGUST 22, 2063 TO AUGUST 24, 2063: ANGELS UP ON HIGH • AUGUST 25, 2063: BROTHER DEATH’S HOUR • AUGUST 27, 2063: AMADEUS’ REAWAKENING THE DARK IS COMING • AUGUST 28, 2063: THE VIGIL LIGHTS ANOTHER CANDLE • AUGUST 28, 2063: THE RITE OF THE WOLF • AUGUST 28, 2063 TO SEPTEMBER 2, 2063: OPERATION NYX II • SEPTEMBER 3, 2063: OPERATION HECATON FINAL PHASE “MARCO POLO” • SEPTEMBER 10, 2063: A NOT-SO-NEW TREND IN AWAKENINGS • SEPTEMBER 14, 2063: PDZAN2063-1409001: OPERATION STEELSINGER • SEPTEMBER 19, 2063 TO OCTOBER 2, 2063: PDVGL2063-1909001: THE SOUTH AMERICA INITIATIVE • SEPTEMBER 23, 2063: THE FIFTH WORLD ESTABLISHES OFFICIAL TIES WITH TERRA • OCTOBER 10, 2063 TO OCTOBER 23, 2063: WAR HOUNDS ENGAGEMENT 006, “ELA” • OCTOBER 24, 2063 TO OCTOBER 30, 2063: WAR HOUNDS ENGAGEMENT 007, “THIRTEEN TALENTS” • NOVEMBER 2, 2063 TO DECEMBER 4, 2063: PDZAN2063-0211001, THE ARCADIA INITIATIVE (ACTUAL TIME PERIOD: APPROXIMATELY ONE ARCADIAN YEAR) • DECEMBER 7, 2063 TO DECEMBER 23, 2063: PDVGL2063-0712005, “CELESTIAL LADDER” THE WITCHING HOURS • DECEMBER 2063 TO FEBRUARY 2064: ANOTHER APOCALYPSE? • FEBRUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 16, 2064: THE ARMISTICE TRAGEDY • FEBRUARY 18, 2064: PAX DEORUM EMERGENCY SUMMIT 002 • FEBRUARY 19, 2064 TO MAY 13, 2064: PDVGL2064-0219001, “ZHONG YUAN JIE” • MAY 14, 2064 TO MAY 29, 2064: PDVGL2064-0514001, “IN UMBRA, IGITUR, PUGNABIMUS” • MAY 31, 2063 TO JUNE 6, 2064: PDVGL2064-0531001, “GEHENNA BOUND” • JUNE 12, 2064: THE OPENING OF ARCIS FORTRESS CITY |
THERE'S NO PATH TO FOLLOW
BATTLESCARRED CONQUISTADORS • JUNE 13, 2064 TO PRESENT: THE SECOND REFORMS • JUNE 15, 2064: THE BLADE KING RETURNS TO THE CYCLE • JULY 4, 2064: GETTYSBERG ACADEMY OPENS • OCTOBER 14, 2064: STORMWATCH EXPEDITION 001, “THE COLUMBUS EXPEDITION” • JANUARY 20, 2065: THE WORLD WELCOMES A NEW REAPER • FEBRUARY 20, 2066: BREAKING THE BACK OF THE TAINT • FEBRUARY 21, 2066 TO THE PRESENT |
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Following the Second Tianamen Square incident, the United Nations attempted to call for peace between Japan and China. Negotiations melted down only too quickly, and it was not long before China was gathering its military strength, preparing to attack Japan directly. It also decided to target all of the ASEAN nations that had allied itself with Japan, including the Republic of the Philippines.
The war ended dead in its tracks when the Chinese military was halted by Aidan Clayce and the Malice Kings at Manila Bay, and were soundly defeated by Japan’s Imperial Army – once the Japanese Self-Defense Force – before they could even reach the country.
Many European countries continued to suffer from internal turmoil following the events of the Black Christmas. The European Union found itself on the verge of a total collapse, which was something that the conspiracies of Pax Deorum could not afford.
The French government, in deference to the large amount of support it was receiving from the Five Mage Orders for their friendly policies towards the Awakened (by that time, France was an established sanctuary for Mages and for Sleepwalkers, and was generously funding the City State of New Atlantis), called for a meeting of the EU’s leaders in Paris. The Orders, in tandem with Netsach and the Methuselah, orchestrated the next major alliance between France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, together with the inclusion of the British Isles and several other candidate countries in the EU. This greatly aided the rehabilitation attempts within European borders, and later kept the continent from falling apart during the Darkest Vigil.
Undeterred by their defeat at the hands of Japan and the rest of the ASEAN, China focused its efforts on recovering their military might and subjugating the supernaturals within their borders. This resulted in a massive influx of Chinese supernaturals fleeing from their country. While many of them gathered in the Free State of Tibet, many more of them went to Taiwan, because the Taiwanese government – backed by Zangyaku – welcomed them with open arms.
China eventually used this as an excuse to resume hostilities, and specifically targeted Taiwan. This war lasted for two years, ending only when allied forces finally managed to exhaust the Chinese government’s resources.
The precise event that caused the exchange of nuclear warheads between India and Pakistan has never been recorded. However, many historians feel that it was simply a result of the long-standing conflict between the two countries, and a series of terrible diplomatic misunderstandings that followed after the Breaking of the Veil.
The war effectively ended not because of a lack of interest, but because both countries had exhausted themselves, and had caused too much wholesale destruction within their own territories.
The world looked on in horror when, in 2035, the major cities of Russia and Africa went completely dark. The next time transmissions came from them, they revealed that both areas were under the dictatorial rule of a conspiracy that called itself Grendal. Grendal’s members consisted of elements that were out to destroy anyone who supported the Balance between the World of Darkness and World of Light, whether they were supernatural or not. They derived much of their power from an entity known as the Watcher in the Dark, a being from the Borderlines that had absorbed much of the essence of Nyx following her defeat.
Grendal continued to use its forces to harass all of the countries bordering Russia and Africa, and constantly sent contingents of their fighters to further flung areas. Busy as they were putting out the many other political fires that were occurring across the globe, Netsach and Zangyaku were only able to react to Grendal’s hostilities rather than attempt to destroy them completely, which effectively forced both camps into a dangerous stalemate. Interestingly enough, what ended up breaking the stalemate and ultimately ending the campaign was the entrance of the Methuselah, under the leadership of Elias Tagabigay. The Inquisitor had finally managed to fully revitalize the conspiracy, and was, by then, in a better position to help Netsach and Zangyaku.
This was the date that Kaizen and Akira returned to Aegis Kai Doru’s new headquarters in Greece with their findings. The leaders of Aegis immediately summoned the leaders of the Ascending Ones through the support of a few dissident cells within the Order of the Phoenix. There are new records of the exact proceedings of the meeting. The only certain fact is that by the end of it, the Ascending Ones were officially absorbed into Aegis Kai Doru, and given a new name: the Legion of the Phoenix.
Since the 2022 Fifth Chapter Summit of Pax Deorum, North Korea consistently threatened other nations with over shows of military hostility. Given the political climate of the world, however, combined with North Korea’s general military incompetence, the fact that their attempts were rebuffed or downright ignored is not surprising. No one was expecting them to turn their sights on South Korea.
The nuclear war between the two Koreas practically destroyed North Korea, and drove South Korea to its knees. Once a truce was declared three years later, another supernatural wall – the Wall of Mara Papiyas, distinguished from Yggdrasil’s Roots by its use of Fourth World technology – was constructed along the border of the two countries. The wall served two purposes: a deterrent for both Koreas with regard to future hostilities, and a terraforming device designed to mitigate the effects of the nuclear conflagration, and slowly restore the environmental climate within the region.