Terminal Academy History

Introduction...
We are taught as children that the noises of the night and images in our eyes are only figments. We are told that our overactive imaginations are just playing tricks on us. That these figments and tricks are nothing to be scared of. Our parents—our guardians, our protectors—try to teach us at those young, fragile ages not to let our imagination fool us and fuel our primal fears. What we don't know...

...is that we should be scared. Those noises, those images are evils of the darkest nature. Natures even more perverse and demented than our own disease of humanity. Our guardians cannot truly protect us from the dangers that they believe are just figments of the imagination—how can you protect anything if you're too blind and ignorant to see the danger yourself?

That was the question asked generations ago. The era has changed; a desperate air of bloodshed and violence has poured over the planet. Our nightmares and inner demons have come forth, and the world was taken by storm. No weapon of man could overpower these forces, and in the end it our fate was left to a few, unknown guardians. The guardians whose names we shunned years before...


It was the year 1982...

...that an unknown tragedy struck the world...

In the beginning, there was an organisation designed to combat hidden, paranormal evils. The only teams that existed within that organisation were made up of impromptu agents strung together for a brief, yet paramount mission. This remained protocol for centuries until the incredible successes of the first permanent team. Despite an intense level of animosity among teammates, this team – a team that never even acquired a name – managed to achieve greatness and organisation-wide fame that was never equaled. A level of fame so high that they were trusted with a mission to kill a threat to not just our world, but all worlds connected by the Nexus. A mission that would be the downfall of this team, and a huge blow to the organisation...

The team consisted of six specialized individuals whom before were legends among their own peers, and together created a force that policed the entire paranormal world. These six were known separately as the Immortal Gunslinger, the Master Medium, the Scarlet Mantle, the Half-Blood Demon, the Timeless Flower and the Fallen Angel. But, separately, each member was an entirely different entity. Some of whom didn't mix so well. Most of this friction spawned from Inkubus and West, colloquially the Demon and Gunslinger, because of their individual prides and lack of trust in each other. Regardless of the reason, the friction that spawned would soon become the bane of the team, the organisation and possibly the world.

A mere fourteen months after the founding of the group of six, and their downfall ensued. A creature of unknown origins posed a threat to humanity, and the group was set to kill it. Only later on this mission would they learn that it was created in a laboratory, using the symbiotic cell structure of the Scarlet Mantle, better known as Red. Although this creature had qualities from from most of the group, its true form closely resembled that of Red's Wolf, and this would become the cause of hysteria that would lead to the breakdown of the team which spurred the the coming of a demon that not even Hell was ready for...

Red was the heart of the group. Even West and Inkubus would drop their disputes if she was in danger. When she became paralyzed in fear and subsequently wounded by this creature in its true form, it sent a quake of rage through the group. However, despite their combined, enraged efforts, they could not manage to kill the creature, only wound it severely before letting it escape. It was this brief moment of guilt and rage that West and Inkubus blamed each other. Without anything to stop them, it seemed as if one would finally kill the other. Possibly to an unfortunate extent, this was not the case. In his intense rage, Inkubus let loose a darkness that some consider a worse plague than the creature they were set out to kill.

Inkubus' father was a Knight of Mammon, the highest rank a demon can achieve under a Prince of Hell. Releasing the relatively awesome power of the Knight, Inkubus not only tore through West, but the other three members of the team as well. It seemed as if things were hopeless against his new form until the organisation's reinforcements arrived. Even against the odds, the unleashed demon escaped and caused numerous casualties. This day has become known as the Advent of Darkness, for it was the darkest day in the recorded history of the organisation, and set forth years of terror and instability.

...blood pooling on streets.

Tears streaming down cheeks...

...Darkness consuming everything...

Twenty-three years had passed since the Advent of Darkness, which was soon to become known as the First Advent. In that time, the organisation had went through relatively radical changes to make up for the losses it sustained in the first Advent. World Powers lost faith in the organisation, and drastic cuts had to be made. This was the first time the organisation had ever seen change. Some sources dated the organisation back to the Illuminati, others to Iron Age Druids and few even went as far as the Pagan Era. Change after so long had seemed a sign to many... to some even an omen.

To increase efficiency, the entire organisation from all sects across the globe began using the team system, despite its prior failure. Yet another omen. Only half of the first team was even alive: West was now leading the organisation's Agent Branch, Red had went on a hunt for the creature and Inkubus had been taken over by his father, and began calling himself Revnak. Arguably worst of all, the creature was still alive, taken the alias Recnac and even had its own faction...

It was an chaotically confusing time. A legion of demons led by Revnak and a band of genetically amplified abominations led by Recnac were both warring against the organisation, and ironically both of their leaders were absent. Frustration was rampant; no one knew where either Revnak or Recnac were, and their similar names only caused misunderstandings that increased confusion. It became impossible to hide the war from the public, and even more pressure was put on the organisation. Conspiracies were everywhere, no one trusted this shadow organisation that concealed powerful creatures. No faith, no trust... this was only the rising action.

The climax occurred when a team led by West was finally chasing down Recnac, who they believed to still be injured from their fight over two-decades ago. Recnac, however, was not. In fact, he had led the team into a trap, and drained their power to open a portal to Hell. Recnac could absorb the power of any being he infected, and he intended to infect all of Hell. What awaited him on the other side of the portal was none other than one of the Seven Princes of Hell, Lord Mammon. Caught in conflict, Recnac was surprised when the corpse one of agents attacked him, and Mammon dealt a nearly-fatal blow. Recnac absorbed what power he could from the corpses to survive, then escaped as he did decades ago.

The corpse that revived was Revnak. He had implanted himself inside an infant that he had delivered to the organisation without question. For seventeen years, he waited until the time was right. He met Mammon, his lord, with treacherous intentions. Mammon was drained from his fight with Recnac, and Revnak took advantage of this. Revnak slew Mammon, and became a Prince of Hell in his place.

Revnak began opening portals across the land, and letting forth demons upon humanity. No weapons could stop them, and even worse Recnac was strong enough to create his own army of abominations. The war had begun. It was no less than the rapture, and many prayed. Their prayers remained unanswered... millions died. Millions more were turned into footsoldiers of the damned, or grotesque creatures of paranormal power. That was until Revnak had a change of heart...

It is unknown why or how it occurred, but Revnak sacrificed all of his power to give the last humans a change. He closed all but the original portal to Hell, and distributed all of his power into equal "seeds" in which he implanted in every living human. These seeds increased the chances of paranormal prowess, and gave the humans the chance to fight off the damned and the abominable, but did nothing to repair the world. This day was known as the Advent of Blood, for in no more than twenty-four hours demons and abominations ran through the streets which were coated in thick, human blood. Cities were in ruin. Technology was all but lost. This was the Second Advent.

The Academy...
It is now 2103, and humanity is no longer as close to the brink as it once was, however, it is in the worst war it has ever seen. Parts of the world cannot be communicated with. Some effectively no longer exist. Even the planet seemed to have tremors of fear as large earthquakes from the San Andreas fault demolished what demons did not. But, out of all of the destruction and death, humanity still stands. Farms, towns, trade and commerce are all protected by a new generation of guardians that have sprouted from the seeds Revnak planted, and what begins to blossom now may make the future safer for even more generations to come.

The Terminal Academy is one the only institutions designed to train and educate the metaphysically sensitive. It was found in an area that was once known as Colorado on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded due to the huge demand of guardians during the rebuilding process after the earthquakes caused by the San Andreas Fault. The Terminal Academy is known as the largest Academy of the new Era.

Hopeful students often traverse the dangerous paths and roadways to merely attempt getting into Terminal Academy. Without the internet or large databanks of information, the large libraries and brilliant minds of the Academy have made it the center of information in the New Era. Information and education are powerful commodities that have arguably played the largest role in influencing the new structure of the growing world.

The Academy is also the only known governing body that networks multiple settlements in this era. As its primary purpose is to protect hundreds of settlements, it trains students and sends them where protection is most needed. In return, crops and resources are sent to the Academy. In effect, this is the only structured government in existence. Other academies are far smaller, and are normally only branches of single, large settlements which train their own protectors. This difference is what makes Terminal Academy unique.

The Academy is normally only attended for four years, and graduation is as simple as passing a set of relatively simple tests. Most students prefer to be in the Academy, rather than outside actually doing what their trained for. Within the walls of the Academy, they are safe and protected. They are nurtured. They learn and grow. The limit on years is not how long it takes to graduate, only how long a single person is allotted to stay. In this world, education is a commodity, and the proper distribution of it may alter the world...

There is no true set curriculum within the Academy. Students technically can take any classes, or lack thereof, they want. Whether they pass or not is entirely up to the teacher, and passing is again technically irrelevant. The Academy is truly education at its most basic form. What matters within the Academy are a type of 'portfolio' that the Academy creates and in which contains vital information about their abilities, capabilities, identity and most importantly rank in their class.

Class Rank denotes directly the most powerful people in the class. The top twenty-four are determined by a tournament. The rest are determined through grades and portfolios. Every year there is only one Rank 1, and each year there is a tournament of Rank 1's between all academies and a few solo entries. This tournament is the most anticipated event of the year, and almost always has a few interruptions caused by demons or abominations, however, this is one of the time times students get to display their abilities without being dampened.

The Terminal Academy exists in part of the San Juan Mountains which are connected to Earth's natural Ley Lines. Underneath the Academy's rigid walls is an outlet of power that results in a dampening effect on everything within the Academy. All paranormal, metaphysical, magical and essentially any ability is dampened to near non-existence. Teachers who have been there excessive amounts of time are exceptions due to growing a resistance to the effect, as well as Senior Students (which is why Senior Students are often the most powerful).

Lastly, within the Academy, a dome was built. The dome uses several types of abilities, ranging from ritualistic seals and runes to what was once science and a new field called Manasci (short for Mana Science), to repel almost all forms of energy, which results in the dampening effects of the area to be negated. This dome is often used for classes, however, its most influential purpose lies in the hierarchy it creates. Students are allowed to fight within the dome and create their own ranking system, which often influences their actual class rank.