Rise of the Overlord: The Ebony Tablets

[Derek Raines]

The Ebony Tablets

When Aleksander Konstantine, known to the world as the Overlord, stumbled across a set of ornate ebony tablets beneath the frozen wastes of Antarctica he did not at first know what he had come upon. Thinking the tablets relics of lost Atlantis, Konstantine poured large amounts of time and resources into deciphering the mysterious words etched into them. To his surprise, the ebony tablets did not speak of Atlantis, but of a place BETWEEN realities. A realm of vast energy that bridged together the many universes that existed, a twisting nether of paths and roads that lead from one world to another. Konstantine also discovered that this place, this Void, was not empty. Creatures of shadow made their home here and their kingdom was vast just as their tolls for crossing the Void was harsh.

Accessing his arsenal of hypertechnology and his unmatched intellect, Konstantine crafted a small gateway and entered the swirling crossroads of the Void. He was immediately attacked by a frenzy of horrors, winged beasts and scaled brutes wielding blades of razor keen shadows. Tearing through waves of the assaulting fiends with the aid of his cybernetic armor and bending the shadows to his own will with his powers, the Overlord found that even he could not match the tide against him, and was soon overwhelmed and captured.

Konstantine was stripped of his armor and gear and was brought before a council of immense power. The Shade Emperor and his six sons were beings of pure energy and their voices seemed to run like the blackest ink through his mind. They explained that it was they who ruled the Void, as Konstantine had dubbed it, and that their purpose was to keep the universes from colliding with one another. Their purpose, however, was a curse and a punishment and they longed to be rid of their servitude and free to invade and claim a universe for their own. Konstantine listened and spoke, sharing knowledge and gaining it, and after spending a series of days with the Void Council a plan had been formulated..

The Shadow Pact was a simple arrangement in essence. The Overlord would grant the Shade Emperor and his minions access to Earth and the Void Council would give Konstantine free reign between the very ley lines of the universe. For most of his life, the Overlord had thought himself worthy to rule Earth, but his heart was ever drawn to the mysterious Atlantis. With the Void at his disposal, the Overlord was free to find the Lost Kingdom...and besiege it for his own.

[Derek Raines]

The Negabomb

With the creation of the Shadow Pact, Konstantine was free to return to New Atlantis, his base of operations in Antarctica. Although the creatures of the Void Council were powerful, they were no match for the combined force of Earth's metahumans. Realizing that such a barricade stood in his way, the Overlord began plotting what would later be known as "The Fall."

Mustering the bulk of his resources and connections, Konstantine began networking with members of Chimaera, the Technocracy and various super villains of renown and infamy. Reluctantly sharing his Atlantian technology with his new axis of evil, but driven to keep his part of the Shadow Pact and gain access to the Void, the gathered coalition discovered staggering new information concerning the source of meta power. It was found that on a genetic level all metahumans, excluding those who tapped into the mystical realm, shared a universal connection to the Atlantians of lore. Konstantine speculated that the current metahumans might be descendants of the Atlantian refugees that found their way to Earth long ago.

Taking their new found knowledge, the Overlord and his allies crafted a weapon of cataclysmic proportions- the Negabomb. The massive weapon was build and programmed to single out the series of Atlantian genes in all metahumans and temporarily negate their abilities...the explosive backwash of the weapon would also render the sturdiest of metahumans unconscious and the weakest would simply die without their powers.

[Derek Raines]

The Reckoning

With the Negabomb constructed and a network of the World's most powerful villains at his side, the Overlord set in motion the final phase of his plan.

Using his most coveted technology and secrets, Konstantine raised a continent from the sea. The massive continent, named Bal'barath after the Atlantian word meaning "Herald of Change", pushed its way from the Pacific Sea just west of South America. The sudden rise of Bal'barath sent crushing tidal waves and unnatural storms across the world. Millions died.

Panic followed. The World's governments began blaming one another for the tragedy even as Earth's metahumans did all they could to give aid and slow the rising death toll. It was then that Konstantine approached the United Nations with a devious pact of his own. The UN listened..

Konstantine presented an existence to the World's leaders that they had long forgotten could be obtained- one in which normal men ruled. No more Gods that could fly and lift buildings or summon the elements and bend it to their will. No more titans that could crush tanks or wipe out waves of trained soldiers. No more murky eyed mind freaks that could possess a man, a normal man, and make him do terrible things. Konstantine presented them with the Negabomb and an opportunity to use it. He claimed that he could gather all of Earth's metahumans, hero and villain alike, and all they would have to do is push the button. Many were reluctant, some were outright furious to hear such a proposal from such a man as Konstantine, but the idea caught on in all the wrong places and began to spread..

With the Negabomb in place, the Overlord revealed his hand. The Technocracy and Chimaera were globally blamed for the rise of Bal'Barath and it was discovered that the massive continent was the new found base of operations for the coalition of villains. Konstantine was surprised at how quickly the heroes responded.
Halo, leader of the Redeemers and a charismatic figurehead of many of Earth's heroes, declared a call for a unified force. He asked for all of the World's heroes to join him in bringing an end to Bal'Barath and the villains that killed so many with its raising. Although pockets of heroes did not answer, many and most did, and soon Halo lead a veritable army of metahumans. The biggest battle in Earth's history was about to take place.