Blackslash/Nemesis Reigns
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Nemesis Reigns is an alternate future timeline, where Nemesis has replaced heroes as the world's protector, and effectively its ruler. This is the timeline from which Blackslash escaped, and tried to prevent.
((NOTE: This Timeline is incomplete, and is subject to revision, as the details are currently scattered among at least 4 different sources, in different formats.
This note will be removed when the timeline is finalized.))
Contents |
Synopsis
Eventually, Nemesis figured out that he would never succeed against the world's overwhelming hero population using his current methods. He therefore decided to come up with a plan to destroy the majority and discredit the rest, while at the same time replacing himself as the world's protector by succeeding where the heroes fail. In this position, he could effectively rule the world as a "benevolent" dictator through fear of the unknown and exploitation of humanity's trust.
This plan was the most elaborate plan he had ever come up with, exploiting almost every other supervillain or villain group available.
Timeline
January 15th, 2005
This is the date that Nemesis Reigns splits off from standard Virtue Universe and City of Heroes continuity. Anything that occurred (or was retconned) after this date in standard continuity may not have occurred, may not exist, or may not be of any consequence in the Nemesis Reigns timeline. This includes player characters (like the Grey Cheater) created after this date.
June 15th, 2005
- Night-Girl marries an undisclosed hero.
October 31st, 2005
- A daughter is born to Night-Girl and her husband. Due to her accelerated metabolism, the baby is born only a month after conception.
2007
- After a resounding defeat by what could only be described as a half-man, half-bull, Nemesis decides that he needs to come up with a single, comprehensive, elaborate plan to remove heroes as a threat to his goals of world domination.
2010
- Nemesis completes his master plan, accounting for all contingencies, and sets out to begin work on it.
2011
- Nemesis kills and replaces Countess Crey with a perfect replica (using her own parts), using a hybridization of his technology and Dr. Vahzilok's.
2012
- Nemesis visits an alternate dimension where the Banished Pantheon have managed to awaken the sleeper beneath Dark Astoria-- the dark god Mot.
2015
- Nemesis repeatedly has run-ins with the Praetorians, and on some occasions, is actually saved by heroes. In the last such incident, he is unable to escape from the heroes, and agrees to turn over all his information on their plans in exchange for a commuted sentence of 150 years in prison.
2016
- With the information gained from Nemesis' plea bargain, and a few anonymous tips, the entire Praetorian versions of the Freedom Phalanx and the Vindicators are captured by various heroes, and locked up in Ziggursky Penitentiary.
2017
- In an attempt to learn more about the nature of those who are born with an innate affinity for magic, Nemesis kidnaps and experiments upon Night-Girl's daughter, using devices of his own creation, enhanced by enchantments gleaned from stolen magical artifacts and rituals. She is rescued by the Liberty League, led to Nemesis' lab by Night-Girl's innate magical bond with her daughter.
- The Nemesis in the Zig is revealed to be a clone after he is found dissected on the floor of his cell next to Anti-Matter.
- After she recovers from torture at the hands of Nemesis, the Weevil provides his God-daughter with a suit much like his own in function, but like her mother's in style, and Blackslash is born.
2018
- Blackslash joins the Liberty League Scouts after a year of training.
2019
- The Malta Group receives solid leads suggesting that a coalition of hyper-genius superheroes have devised a plan to turn all the citizens of Paragon City without a criminal record into heroes themselves.
- Akarist receives an early cue from Nemesis to reveal himself as a mole, and steal the Wheel of Destruction, The Scroll of the Celestial Dragon, and 3 other extremely powerful artifacts. The Circle reprimands him for acting early, but decide to advance their operations to take advantage of the gained artifacts.
- Paragon protectors seize 5 tactical nuclear weapons from the Malta group, claiming that they planned a terrorist attack on Paragon City's major economic centers.
2020
The following events occur over a month long period:
- Requiem develops the Soul Ripper based on magical and technological methods of dimension travel and possession, scattered and planted by Nemesis. Tired of his minions repeatedly losing to Peacebringers and Warshades, and seeking to rid himself of Arakhn's rivalry, he dons the protective suit laid out in the plans, and immediately sets it off, wiping the Kheldians and Nictus from the face of the planet. Side effects of the device leave the conglomerate of souls known as Saminga in an amorphous state, separate the mages of the Circle of Thorns from their human hosts, and erase the power stores of the Carnival of Shadows' masks, restoring them to their human state. With the Nictus gone, the Fifth Column is instantly reborn under the guidance of the now-human (the suit didn't work, as per Nemesis' plan) Requiem.
- In an attempt to restore Saminga, Cadao Kestrel hypothesizes that the original mask worn by Vanessa DeVore may have the properties needed to reform Saminga into a cohesive state. The mask is found by the Liberty League Scouts, placed on Saminga, and his physical body congeals. After much cheering and congratulating, he consumes the souls of Mesmeron, the Green Lobster, and the White Warrior in an instant, increasing his mass proportionally.
- Over a period of 10 days, Saminga consumes the souls of approximately 12,000 normal citizens and 125 heroes, including Voidoid, Digital, Positron, and the Back Alley Brawler.
- During this time, the Nemesis Army travels to Orenbega to retrieve the artifacts stolen by Akarist, along with many other items of power and knowledge.
- While they are nearly unoccupied, the Freakshow are seen leaving 5 major supergroup bases (including the Freedom Phalanx and the Liberty League) shortly before their destruction by localized nuclear explosions. Several reserve members of these supergroups are killed in the explosions.
- The Reichsman, frozen in suspended animation, is moved to Ziggursky Penitentiary after the Freedom Phalanx's base is destroyed. He is put in the cell previously occupied by the Nemesis Clone.
- The Praetorians stage a breakout at the Zig. The Freedom Phalanx and the Vindicators, minus Positron and the Back Alley Brawler, show up to deal with it, and Statesman finds himself faced with both the Reichsman and Tyrant at the same time. Though all of the Praetorians and the majority of the rest of the villains are defeated, only Ms. Liberty and Sister Psyche escape with their lives.
- The Banished Pantheon awaken the slumbering god Mot in Dark Astoria, and 7 of the city's best supergroups convene there to take him down. To do so, while the various members distract him, the 7 leaders sacrifice their souls to annihilate his evil with an equal amount of nobility. At least half of the force dies in the battle with the god before it is over.
- While Sister Psyche is at the Zig breakout, Malaise breaks from her influence and sneaks away to enslave some Freakshow and toy with the minds of a few innocent citizens. The Liberty League Scouts are dispatched to deal with them, as all serious superhero groups are already engaged. Transimian's mind is taken over by Malaise, and after destroying the robot Mettallo, he is killed by his teammate Blackslash before he can harm anyone else. Malaise is finally subdued after further casualties.
- Nemesis troops corner Saminga publicly, immune to his abilities due to devices they all wear, and use a massive, steam-powered "vacuum" of sorts to suck the souls away from the mask. The mask is confiscated for "protection", and the device filled with souls hauled away.
- Nemesis is hailed as a hero by the Mayor of Paragon City.
2021
- The remaining heroes realize that Nemesis is at the center of all these near-simultaneous events, as he seemed to have shown up with just the right tools at just the right time, right at the end of the string of catastrophes. The surviving members of Paragon's best, led by Ascendant after the death of every leader of every supergroup, attempt to confront Nemesis at what they believe to have determined to be his massive underground base of operations. What they find instead is the massive underground base of operations of the newly restored Fifth Column, complete with 5,000 Ubermenchs, 3,000 5th Column Robots, 800 Vampri, and Requiem, Vandal, and Nosferatu.
2022
2023
2024
2025
- The Liberty League, now led by a quite-changed KnightFalcon, devise a plan to send a single member back in time to attempt to prevent the chain of events that Nemesis set up to gain his current status. Blackslash was chosen for her extensive knowledge and unwavering dedication to defeating Nemesis, despite concerns about her social inadequacies.
- After the experiment is determined to be a success, Miss Meteor (daughter of Ms. Meteor) and the second Captain Karate are also sent back in time to assist Blackslash.
Status of notable characters, events, and organizations
- Arachnos, and all of its major players, either never existed in this timeline, or are of insignificant consequence, as they were retroactively added to canon after 1/15/2005.
- Longbow is another group that either never existed, or is of insignificant consequence in this timeline
- The events of the Calvin Scott Task Force, which took place in Issue 3, did not occur in this timeline, because the author had already established that Aurora was still hosting Sister Psyche's mind in the future prior to learning of that TF.
- There was no second Rikti Invasion, and no significant reformation of the Vanguard. Learning from his mistake the first time, Nemesis made sure that the Rikti world would remain sealed off, leaving the Vanguard to lose their funding by the UN.
- Saminga, though he plays a prominent part in this timeline, is no longer played (and was likely deleted by his player).
- The majority of the few remaining heroes have joined what is left of the Liberty League, under the leadership of the considerably less naive KnightFalcon.
- The only surviving members of the Liberty League as it existed on January 15th, 2005 are 'Mazing Monkey and Ascendette. 'Mazing Monkey has been reduced to the mental capacity of a normal primate, and Ascendette is in a persistent vegetative state.
- Ms. Liberty is the only surviving member from the Freedom Phalanx and Vindicators, and has also joined the Liberty League.
Miscellaneous notes
- The Soul Ripper and the story behind it are eerily similar to the level 20-24 Winslowe and the Cosmotron arc that was added in Issue 4. Since the writer came up with the Soul Ripper (yeah, yeah, their name isn't any better!) at least 2 months prior to Issue 4 being on the test server, this is coincidence.
