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TheImperial
08-06-2005, 06:01 PM
The Imperial: Timeline

PRE WORLD WAR II

February 1647: In searching for ways to overthrow the Royalists in the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell secretly begins studying the arcane arts. The use of magic becomes a well-hidden family tradition in the Cromwell family.

June 1708: Franklin Cromwell immigrates to the American colonies from England with his wife and children, settling in the area that would become Paragon City, Rhode Island.

Early to Mid 1800's: Theodore Cromwell builds a comfortable lifestyle for himself in the area of port trade and commerce, thanks in no small part to the practical and persuasive application of his well-honed magical powers and ruthless business practices.

Late 1800’s: Victor Cromwell wisely and famously invests a large portion of his family’s wealth into the railroad industry. Within twenty years, the Cromwell fortune triples, making the family amongst the richest in the entire world and well known as quintessential “robber barons” alongside such families as the Morgans and Rockefellers.

November 1909: Alastair Victor Cromwell is born the second child and firstborn son to Rudolph and Helen Cromwell. The couple’s friend child – daughter Edith – died a few weeks after birth. Eventually, one more daughter – Jocelyn Mary - and son – Joseph Theodore – are born several years later.

November 1919: On his tenth birthday, Alastair is introduced to the “family secret” and begins learning the ways of magic for himself in order to make an easier life for himself by manipulating the attitudes of his teachers and schoolmates.

March 1921: Young Alastair reads A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. He becomes fascinated with the legends of Camelot and the Round Table and begins to read everything he can about the subject.

August 1927: Versed in Arthurian legend and the ideals of chivalry and equality of men, Alastair enrolls at Princeton to pursue a degree in both literature and law. As he continues to learn more, he grows increasingly disillusioned with his family’s practice of magic for selfish gain and the exploitation of anyone and everyone around them.

October 1929: The stock market crashes and the United States enters into the Great Depression. The Cromwells, however, are bolstered by their vast array of financial holdings in industries, sectors, and nations across the world.

January 1930: Sickened by the morose suffering of those around him, Alastair is moved by compassion. He gives his expensive winter coat, Swiss pocket watch, and all the money in his pocket (some $50) to an elderly man on the street asking for charity.

April 1930: Unbeknownst to his family, Alastair diverts some of his personal funds to create a soup kitchen in Atlas Park.

September 1931: Alastair accidentally meets Eleanor Pearl Heckler on the campus lawn in between classes. The two meet for dinner later that day and quickly fall in love.

May 1933: A carload of mobsters attempts to gun down Alastair and his mother in the streets. Two lower class strangers throw themselves in front of the hail of gunfire and save the two Cromwells. Inspired by the sacrifice of the two men and emboldened by the literary legacy of King Arthur, the young Cromwell decisively turns his magical powers away from the manipulation of people and towards using his arcane powers for combating evil.

The Imperial is born and takes to the streets of Paragon, fighting along side other costumed heroes of the early twentieth century.

September 1935: Alastair and Eleanor wed in a beautiful seaside ceremony on the Atlantic Coast. Several members of Paragon City’s burgeoning crime-fighting community attend incognito. When unrecognized by members from either family, these heroes and heroines simply give a vague reply along the lines of being “business acquaintances” of Alastair.

November 1935: Newlyweds Alastair & Eleanor Cromwell honeymoon for a full two months in Europe, returning in time for Christmas in the States. While the snowcovered Alps, wooded vales, and ancient villages are a sight to behold, the Nazi buildup in Germany deeply unsettles Alastair.

March 1937: After the funeral of a relative, Alastair stumbles across the Sceptre of Kings hidden away in the Cromwell family crypt. Used by the European kings of old, and imbued with magical powers, this mace-like weapon is destined to become The Imperial's most well-known item.

TheImperial
08-06-2005, 06:03 PM
WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH

March 1939: Britain declares war on Nazi Germany. Disturbed for several years at the German military buildup, Alastair kisses his young wife goodbye and says he is departing for England, under the pretenses of helping some aristocratic family friends of the Cromwells. Secretly, this “help” would take the form of donning the burgundy and gold costume and fighting alongside the Dawn Patrol.

July 1940: After almost being killed by Luftwaffe rockets and gunfire in the Battle of Britain, Alastair begins to rethink his own involvement in the war. A single man – gifted with such powers even as he may – can only do so much. He now plans to search anywhere and everywhere for some magical source to help defeat the Nazis.

January 1941: Alastair discovers the legendary Pearl of Gilgamesh hidden in the ruins of a Babylonian temple. According to myth and ritual, the pearl grants its wearer the “blessing and curse of the god-heart.”

To this end, he performs the archaic magical ritual involving the Babylonian relic. It grants him nigh immortality, immense invulnerability, and dispenses of the need for oxygen. All of this is due to an intense magical aura that surrounds his body at all times as well as flows throughout his body.

Alastair no longer needs to eat, drink, or breathe to survive. He returns to London supremely more portent and begins to assist the Dawn Patrol once again.

December 1941: The U.S. is drawn into the Second World War. After hearing about the attack in Paragon City, Alastair rushes home to see to the safety of his wife and family. Eleanor is safe, albeit rattled. Still unaware of his identity as The Imperial, she is deeply concerned for her husband’s safety and convinces him to remain in Rhode Island, at least for the time being.

The Imperial begins rallying other costumed crime fighters to the cause of Allied liberty and freedom.

May 1941: Heroes from across the eastern Seaboard gather in Liberty Plaza to send of to Europe and Africa. Alastair attends as himself, un-costumed, and with Eleanor at his side. The Fifth Column attacks and Alastair summons the Sceptre to his side and fights off the Nazis. All the while, Eleanor learns with absolute horror the secret her husband has had for so long: he is The Imperial.

After the attack, the couple gets into an epic argument about Alastair’s costumed crime fighting. Eventually and with many tears, Eleanor comes to realize the great deal of good her husband can do for the world and sends him off to the war again – this time with her blessing and prayers.

October 1942: An 8th Air Force bomber wing composed of B-24s departs their base in England for a bombing run in Austria. As the planes begin to cross over occupied Dutch and German country, they come under heavy flack fire. Two planes are shot down, while one – “Betty’s Boxcar” – is badly damaged and decides to turn around and return to base.

On their flight back, their two remaining engines fail and the crew braces for an emergency landing in enemy territory. Suddenly, the plane is bolstered upwards and begins to regain altitude. None of the crew understands how this is happening until the B-24 Liberator safely lands and they find it was The Imperial who had kept the plane aloft across the Channel.

Later that night, an impromptu gala is held in Cromwell’s honor. In a show of deep gratitude and in honor of their savior, the bomber crew rechristens their B-24 the “Crown Princes.”

January 1943: While fighting in Italy, The Imperial meets for the first time Xanatos and his team: The Cosmic Crew.

September 1944: The Imperial gains notoriety back home in the States for his valiant deeds in the war. Photographs of him stopping a V2 rocket from destroying a packed orphanage in London is the impetus that gains him fame world wide.

April 1945: In the German hill country, The Imperial - along with Xanatos, The Cosmic Crew, and a small contingent of crack paratroopers - rush a secret Nazi compound that turns out to be the nerve center of Third Reich occult activity. Leading the Nazi activity there was one Ervig von der Alderveldt, who would come to be better known to The Imperial and the rest of the world as Lord Visigoth. While the Cosmic Crew and the U.S. troops clear out the base, The Imperial and Lord Visigoth fight in the inner sanctum of the compound, man to man, sceptre to sword. In the end, an ill-timed British bombing run levels the bunker, allowing Lord Visigoth to escape.

June 1946: After the war and the subsequent return to the United States, The Golden Knight (leader of the Cosmic Crew) extends an offer to The Imperial of joining the Crew. The Imperial respectfully declines.

December 1949: Eleanor passes away due to severe bone cancer. In his grief, Alastair flies as hard and as fast as he can - and for the first time discovers he is capable of flight outside of the Earth's atmosphere.

TheImperial
08-06-2005, 06:05 PM
( SAVED FOR CONTINUATIONS OF THE IMPERIAL: TIMELINE )

THE SIXTIES, SEVENTIES, & EIGHTIES

TheImperial
08-06-2005, 06:06 PM
( SAVED FOR CONTINUATIONS OF THE IMPERIAL: TIMELINE )

THE DAWNING OF A NEW CENTURY

TheImperial
08-17-2005, 01:03 AM
Ok, here's the second installation of the Old Man's history: World War II.

Enjoy!

Charon
11-27-2005, 05:42 PM
Mooooooooooore. We want moooooore! ;)

Druid
11-27-2005, 06:06 PM
lol, pick up the pace geezer!!

Noble
12-31-2006, 05:44 AM
hey you! Finish writing this, I need it for...well...somethin. So get with it!:P

Alumette
12-31-2006, 08:42 AM
Whoa! Who spiked your Geritol?! All this time, mostly silence from the Old Man and now, the timeline goes up, I get requests to dig up some of his old fiction...

Not that I'm complaining--I mean, it's a happy day indeed when The Imperial returns to the telling of his epic!

Whatever's gotten into you, I hope it lasts! :)