Timeline and Reference Info for Mutants, Unite!

[Aidan Fox]

Yay, everybody loves timeline threads! :D

Anyway, it's been suggested to me that it would be helpful to map out some of the big events in Los Santos for people to use as reference points as they pursue their various storylines. One of the great things about this setting is that LA is huge, and there can be all kinds of stories going on independently, but it's nice to have an idea where things fall in relation to the really big events that affect everybody.

You can find a pretty comprehensive timeline (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=Mutants_Unite_Timeline) up on the Wiki. Feel free to go there and add your latest threads to the mix, and make sure to put in a bit of description so we know who's involved and what's going on. This list is just to help us orient some of the major events for each storyline. For instance, I've included Zero's awakening thread, which tells us how long Zero's been AWOL from Vanguard and on a rampage. It would also be helpful to know, for instance, when Treadstone started collecting mutant agents of its own, and when Tom Harriman's press conference is.


May 24, 2009
Heart of Darkness (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19649). A fierce battle with Mute reboots Zero's consciousness. The cyborg goes AWOL from Vanguard and begins a quest to reclaim his memories, while Vanguard begins a quest to reclaim Zero.

June 1, 2009
The Mutant Registration Act is passed by an emergency session of the California Senate. Registration is mandatory for all mutants with criminal records. Registration to become mandatory for all mutants on September 1, 2009.

June 5, 2009
Tom Harriman is asked to resign from Steve Rogers High School and shortly afterward resumes his vigilante career under the alias Orion. Within a few days, he attracts the MCU's attention in You Can Hide, But You Can't Run (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21851).

June 19, 2009
Her Majesty's Secret Service (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20479). Walter Harriman is killed by Hurucan, a high-level Brotherhood operative. Hurucan moves his cell to the US a few days later.

June 28, 2009
Rally Time (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21778). A mutant protest of the MRA at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse turns ugly when Vanguard arrives to arrest a known Brotherhood agent in their midst.

July 5, 2009
The Unfixing (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21837). Redención House falls under attack by Feral.

July 21, 2009
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22398). Tom Harriman, Treadstone's newly appointed director of Applied Sciences, publicly announces his intent to study individual mutations for the benefit of mankind.

July 23, 2009
Firestorm (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21965). After Aimee and Jim are captured by the Tres Onces, Aidan and Jake take extraordinary measures to rescue them. The result will be visible all over Los Angeles, and we can expect a lot of increased anxiety about mutants afterward.

[Inyos Aamoran]

Important-ish dates from me:

Tom is "asked to leave" by Steve Rogers High, and becomes a vigilante (Orion) somewhere around 5th June. The You Can Hide, But You Can't Run (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=21851) thread probably happens within the first few days - 7th June, maybe? - but isn't necessarily worth a specific link.

Hurucan kills papa Harriman (Her Majesty's Secret Service (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20479)) on 19th June, and shows up in the US being nefarious shortly after.

The press conference (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=22398) probably happens on 21st July... near the end of the month anyhow, and that was a Tuesday (I don't like Tuesdays).


The X-Force threads we started a while back would probably have been in the first week or two of July, but since they didn't really go very far I'm not sure it's worth drawing attention to them? They were on payroll from before the press conference, but it's unlikely that they'll see any mission action until after that.

[Aidan Fox]

Factions of Los Angeles

Jace was asking me some questions about the active gangs in Los Santos, and I thought it would be helpful to put up a brief summary of the factions in our LA scenario, both PC and NPC. You can use this information to name-drop groups in your threads, or to come up with NPC badguys for your vigilantes to beat up.

I'd also like to put this information on the Wiki. Feel free to add relevant information in reply!


Private Organizations

Rendención House

A halfway house for mutant teens and young adults who have nowhere else to go. Rendención House is operated by Anna Fernandez.


Treadstone Industries

Treadstone (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=Treadstone) is a large research and development corporation with both private and military contracts. Its Los Angeles holdings include Treadstone Tower and El Toro, a decommissioned Marine Corps airfield in Orange County. These locations are bases for Tom Harriman's Applied Sciences division, which researches practical applications of individual mutant powers, as well as the X-Force, a paramilitary group of mutants designed to oppose mutant terrorism.


The Jericho Foundation

The Jericho Foundation (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=The_Jericho_Foundation) is an international biomedical research organization dedicated to studying the mutant phenomenon. Publicly, they are known as leaders in the field of mutant genetic and medical research and technology. However, much of their research is aimed at controlling mutants rather than helping them. Their primary Los Angeles facility, the Jozua Clinic, includes an extensive basement where their less savory research projects are carried out.


Government Agencies

The Mutant Crimes Unit

Headed up by Captain Michael Stern, the Mutant Crimes Unit is a squad of primarily mutant officers drawn from the LAPD that investigates crimes involving mutants, whether mutants are the suspects or the victims. Most members of the MCU are PCs. If you want NPC cops, best to make them LAPD and not MCU.


Vanguard

Vanguard (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=Vanguard) is an elite counter-terrorism task force drawn from all branches of the U.S. armed services. Its mandate is to investigate and oppose mutant terrorist threats from home and abroad. Vanguard operates a huge R&D branch and supplies some of the specialized technology used on mutants by law enforcement and hospitals. If you're interested in tussling with them, contact either me or Jace.


Gangs of Los Angeles

The Tres Onces (3-11s)

The Elevens are one of the most powerful gangs in Los Angeles. Extremely mutant-phobic, their membership is entirely human, and they are known to commit vindictive hate crimes against mutants in their neighborhoods. They have deep connections with international drug distributors, including a pipeline from South America for the rare mutagenic drug called Nectar. The Jericho Foundation has been purchasing nectar from the Elevens in return for military-grade equipment. Their gang colors are green and black.

As antagonists, the Elevens are effectively our bottom feeder thugs. They're primarily dangerous because they hate mutants and there are so many of them. Thanks to La Raza, they've been mostly pushed out of Los Santos, and Firestorm will set there operations back even further, but you can still expect to see roving bands of gangbangers making trouble here and there.


The Barrio Boneyard

The Bones are a smaller operation than the Elevens, and they don't operate much in the Los Santos neighborhood. They aren't as mutant-phobic as the Elevens; in fact, Geryon (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=Geryon) was once a member of their ranks. Their part in the story has been minimal. They're useful if you want gang antagonists that are not part of the Elevens, or if you need a gang faction to fight the Elevens.


La Raza

La Raza (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=La_Raza) is an exclusively mutant gang led by Pedro Calaveras (http://www.sw-fans.net/wiki/index.php?title=Pedro_Calaveras). Until recently, they were hemmed in by the Elevens and on the point of collapsing, but with the help of Aidan Fox and Jake Foley, they began making effective tactical use of their powers and began to push the Elevens out of Los Santos. Their numbers have grown, but they're still a very small gang compared to their rivals - a few dozen members at most.


Mutant Activists/Supremacists

The Brotherhood of Mutants

Yes, these guys are still around. Their campaign in Los Angeles is designed to foment unrest between mutants and mundanes without directly calling attention to their own designs, which is why they've been relatively quiet. Look for them to up the ante after Firestorm. They're supposed to be the most dangerous known mutant organization in the world, so I'd rather they aren't used as plebeian NPC thugs.


Freakwatch

You want plebeian NPC thugs? Here you go! These are Brotherhood wannabes, but for the most part they're poorly organized and poorly trained. Every now and then the Brotherhood will skim off the most promising prospects into their own ranks.


Friends of Genetic Freedom

Fringey protest group, but mainstream enough to have a national organization and to publish a mutant rights newsletter called (r)Evolution Monthly. Alex Kaine is a junior member. Expect them to have a presence at UCLA and other college campuses.


Mutant Voice

They've been mentioned a grand total of one time and probably will never be mentioned again, but hey. Alex called them "too mainstream" for his tastes, and what he meant is that they're a lobbying group that sees mutation as primarily a medical issue rather than a social one. They likely contribute to the Jericho Foundation, but they're well-meaning.