Ea-F7 EARTH

The variant of Earth known as Ea-F7 exists in a dimension that just barely overlaps our own, in a time that could be described as our future.   On Ea-F7, the mundane and the magical have always been intrinsically connected, as naturallly and irrevocably entwined as the forces of Life and Death. Magic and magical species are as commonplace as those without magic, and magical forces are about as well-researched and understood as mundane ones. On this Earth, Mankind is not the indisputable conqueror of all he surveys; rather, the Human race has always existed alongside many other sapient species of equitable influence and agency. Until about 60 years ago, the sapient species of Ea-F7- mortal, immortal, and undead alike- had little to concern them beyond the daily struggles of survival and the common (and often petty) political clashes between nations, faiths, and organizations. However, it was around 60 years ago that an ancient containment charm was suddenly and inexplicably broken, resulting in a globally devastating event known as The Awakening.   The Eternal Slumber (the containment charm that failed) was formed from such a powerful and esoteric ritual that none of the few who knew of it believed that its failure was even possible- the Eternal Slumber was ancient, seemingly immutable, and had been in place for so long that most of the world had forgotten it, or simply believed it was always a myth. All were proven wrong when, without warning, a global assault of near-cosmic power began. The Unseelie Fae, the darkest and most depraved of all Faeries, flooded onto the Mortal Plane from the long-sealed Faeplane in overwhelming droves, their forces quickly infiltrating the entire world with an efficiency and presence of mind that only ageless, godlike creatures such as the Fae could muster. In the decades since, the denizens of Earth's Mortal Plane have been systematically conquered and, in many cases, enslaved, using the primordial magics of the Faer Folk.   Now, only secrecy, strategy, and the cutting edge of technology stands between the peoples of Ea-F7 and their Fae overlords, most of whom rule from the Faeplane via magic and a robust network of slaves, servants, and spies. Those enslaved by the Fae are referred to as the Bound, while those who are not actually enslaved but respect the authority of the Fae are called the Pledged. The Bound are magically chained to a Fae master, and their own will is consistently superceded by the will of the one who holds their chains. Most folk are Pledged, unwilling to rock the boat with the Unseelie, especially when it could cost them their freedom or their life. However, some continue to resist, either openly or in secret. These folk come from all backgrounds and walks of life but call themselves Freemen, a name originated by the first Human resistance fighters to stand against the Unseelie upon the chaos of The Awakening. The first Freemen were wiped out long before the war and the planet were lost, and the Freemen of the modern day still name themselves in honor of those first brave rebels.   From remote Shellfolk villages to the nomadic clans of the Felidae, from the subterranean halls of the Durgir to towering cities filled with men and elves, the control and influence of the Unseelie Fae span the globe. Even the immortal and undead species of Earth are not free from the oppression of the Fae, and this fact has brought them closer to a sense of unity with mortals than they have ever been before. As every culture carries on with its own approaches to tolerating Fae rule, those who would actively resist gather in secret, seeking out any tool or trick they might use against the Fae and hoping to find trustworthy Freemen with which to ally. Rumors have begun to spread in the most hidden places, stories about an organized group of Freemen leaders with high technology capable of actually opening passageways onto the Faeplane. With such a tool, so much more could be learned about the Unseelie, perhaps something that could be used against them. But who possesses such powerful machinery, and how would anyone find them without attracting the attention of the Unseelie or their allies?