The Dawn Patrol
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
The Dawn Patrol is a UK-based supergroup renowned in official City of Heroes lore, having played a major role in World War II, the early 1980's War on Drugs, and the Rikti Invasion. A group of serious role players on the Virtue Server contacted Cryptic Studios directly and was given permission to use the legendary name and act accordingly.
The Dawn Patrol - Paragon City Chapter - TO&E
In 1923 a group of former British fighter pilots met together at the ancestral home of Alistair Sutton to form a sacred trust. Bound together by the horrors they'd all seen together during the Great War they decided that they must do all they could to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. They devoted themselves to the cause of peace and justice in the world, no matter what the personal cost. These were not men with super powers or special technology but simply brave soldiers willing to do whatever it took, to give whatever they had.
They spent their family fortunes on experimental technology, explorations to distant lands and the building of a secret headquarters. They learned the most deadly and esoteric martial arts, became lethally adept with all manner of weaponry. They fought fascist warlords in Asia and anarchist terrorists in Europe. They chased down madmen bent on destroying or ruling the world. They clashed again and again with some of the world's first and most deadly super villains: Eight Finger Tang, The Air King, The Red Dreadnought and countless others. Greatest of all however was Nemesis, the Prussian Prince of Automatons whose mad genius and devious creations caused the Dawn Patrol and the world no end of trouble.
Throughout the 20's and 30's the Dawn Patrol fought evil wherever they found it until they were blindsided by an evil even they couldn't imagine. Sutton and his fellow heroes, for all their bravery, could not stomach the idea of another great war in Europe. Thus they unintentionally turned a blind eye to the evil taking seed in Nazi Germany. They, like Prime Minister Chamberlain, wanted to assure Peace in Their Time and utterly failed to take any action against fascism. When war finally came, of course, they changed their minds and leaped to their nation's defense. Still, their initial inaction has hung over them ever since, a stain they still work to erase.
All the founding members of the Dawn Patrol are now dead with the exception of Geoffrey Cartwright who doesn't seem to have aged a day since 1938. However, scores have stepped up to the plate to take the places of the fallen. The Dawn Patrol lost much of its focus during the cold war decades. Its members muddled through, fighting second string and has-been villains. Compared to high-profile teams like the Freedom Phalanx and government sponsored hero programs, the Dawn Patrol became a bit of a joke.
It took the worst tragedy in the group's storied history to bring it back from the brink of obscurity. The resurgence of their age-old enemy Nemesis came in the mid 1990's. The arch-villain had kept a low profile for many years, so low that most thought him utterly defeated. When he did re-emerge, he did so with a bang, massacring over half the Dawn Patrol's membership in one fell swoop. The sneak attack rocked the Dawn Patrol to its shaky foundation, but rather than collapse the team rallied and came back fighting. Indeed, The Dawn Patrol, thanks to an infusion of new members, had Nemesis cornered when the Rikti invasion began. The alien attack forced the team to focus its attention elsewhere, allowing Nemesis to escape once again.
When the Rikti invaded, the Dawn Patrol contributed several members to the Vanguard. But once the headquarters were destroyed, many Patrollers killed. It was only through the valiant sacrifice of Hero-1 and the Omega Team that the Rikti invasion was halted.
Now, the Dawn Patrol has risen, a legend reborn, from the ashes of war to continue their eternal mission.
Visit The Official Messageboard for more info about The Dawn Patrol.
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