The start of the Great War prompted the start of what many historians in Equinox have called the “First Paranatural War”. While there is some debate as to whether there was one singular war or many separate smaller conflicts, the general consensus is that, the start of the First World War began a cascade of events relating to the paranatural which would only be resolved upon the conclusion of the Cold War in 1991.
World War I and Reintegration (1914 – 1931)
In 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria saw a significant number of nations drawn into worldwide conflict. After an initial rapid advance and counterattack, the conflict slowed and by November 1914 a stalemate between the two forces had developed on the Western Front. Determined to break their enemy’s lines, both sides began to make use of new, untested military technologies that sought to transform the nature of warfare. Not all of these technologies were of explainable origin and unsurprisingly, by the middle of the war, it was rumoured that both sides were making use of paranatural phenomena in an attempt to gain the upper hand.
In 1916, Equinox was approached by MI6 regarding foreign intelligence they had obtained regarding the use of unexplainable technology on the Western Front. Determined to prevent further British casualties, Equinox agreed on three conditions. The first was that it became an official member of Britain’s intelligence services. Secondly, that it be given the ability to review and input on all technology used by British forces in respect of the war and thirdly, that it be able to operate without undue influence from MI5, MI6 and the British Military. The first two conditions were met but the third was refused. Reluctantly, Equinox’s members agreed to the terms and in doing so was granted governmental support.
For the duration of the war, the Equinox Institute worked tirelessly and without thanks from the shadows. Identifying paranatural threats, they assisted Allied Forces both on the ground and from behind the scenes to prevent further unnecessary casualties. Determined to prevent the British Military from using paranatural technology, they used their position to veto the use of potential paranatural technology before seizing it for further research and study. Finally, it reached out to its former allies, now operating abroad, and began working closely with them to ensure the same approach was adopted internationally.
By the end of the Great War, the Equinox Institute had grown in size and influence. While the British Military failed to understand the value the institute had provided to the war effort, its sister agencies acknowledged the group’s contribution and the importance Equinox placed on the secrecy of its works. In return for its assistance, the Equinox Institute was granted autonomy, its original base at the Tower of London was returned to it and, for the first time, it sat as an equal to MI5 and MI6, albeit its existence hidden from all except those who needed to know of it.
The Pact Britannia and World War II (1932 – 1945)
In the years that followed the First World War, the Allied powers sought extensive financial payments and territorial concessions from a greatly weakened Germany. During this time Equinox took advantage of the situation to obtain further paranatural phenomena from the defeated powers and arrange for its long term research and storage. This political and economic instability however led to widespread discontent and fear which political movements promoting nationalism and authoritarianism capitalised on. The growth of facism would ultimately lead to the destabilisation of Europe and eventually, the Second World War.
Britain was not excluded from the influence of facism and by 1932, the British Union of Fascists had garnered support from sections of the middle class, disaffected workers and veterans. Nationalism was on the rise – even among the fringes of Equinox’s members. Equinox’s leadership, concerned of history repeating itself, attempted to quell the growing discontent. It was all too little, too late.
In September 1936, a convoy transporting several paranatural phenomena between Equinox facilities lost contact with the Institute. Fearing the worst, Equinox dispatched several agents to the scene. What followed was a massacre as the first responders were shot down by their former allies. Other arriving agents defected to the convoy’s leaders and across the country several raids took place on Equinox facilities – resulting in the theft of dozens of paranatural relics, entities and persons.
In the hours that followed Equinox, along with senior members of Government, MI5 and MI6 received correspondence from the insurgents. The group, calling themselves “The Pact Britannia” proclaimed that they were the true organisation specialising in the paranatural and protection of British interests. Proclaiming to have descended from the Royal Institute of the Paranatural, they demanded Equinox’s senior leadership be brought into custody for treason along with its co-conspirators who had allowed British interests to be undermined by outsiders. The Government refused and issued instructions to the intelligence services to round up the Pact as soon as possible.
The next decade would see Equinox reeling from the events that had befallen it in 1936. Its new enemy knew it well and now, armed with paranatural phenomena, proved a credible threat to not only the Institute but also political stability at home. What’s worse, its message suggested that the Royal Society of the Paranatural’s leadership had, in some way, survived the Forgotten War several decades earlier. What followed was a shadowy conflict between the two conspiracies, starting first in Britain then slowly expanding into the Commonwealth then Europe and finally the rest of the World as the Second World War commenced.
By the conclusion of World War II, Equinox had managed to successfully minimise the use of paranatural phenomena during the course of the conflict and apprehend several members of the Pact. With the British far-right largely discredited and support in steep decline, the Pact’s activities began to slow significantly until they ceased entirely. Despite their successes, the Institute were unable to locate the Pact’s leadership and so concerns remained that the group had simply disbanded or become dormant rather than truly defeated.
The Cold War (1946 – 1991)
The Cold War saw a significant up-tick in activity related to the paranatural. Several paranatural artefacts traded hands in the years following the war and, as they crossed the Iron Curtain, many disappeared from Equinox’s view. Still the Institute remained wary of potential paranatural threats and so maintained a constant vigil for any that might emerge at home or abroad.
In 1948, the existence of the paranatural came to the attention of the United States Government following an incident in Roswell, New Mexico. Seeking intelligence on what had occurred, the United States agreed to share information on what had occurred with the United Kingdom in return for intelligence and assistance setting up its own agency. The result would be the Central Paranatural Bureau (the “Bureau”), America’s equivalent to Equinox.
The mid-1960s saw a massive up-tick of paranatural phenomena and activity across the globe (although this was only confirmed to be a global event after the fall of the USSR). This increased activity led to increased reports of UFOs, strange cryptids and other paranatural phenomena particularly in the United States. As news spread, the Equinox Institute and the Bureau encountered significant difficulties in keeping the existence of the paranatural a secret from the public. During this time the first amnestics (memory altering drugs) were created and implemented. Their use was not without controversy or side-effects and in the years that followed stringent policies were put in place to restrict their widespread use.
By 1971 paranatural activity had reduced back to those levels previously seen at the start of the century. Despite their widespread attempts to uphold secrecy, neither Equinox or the Bureau were entirely successful and groups such as the Jessie Avery Company made investigations and investments into the paranatural for the first time.
The decades that followed were relatively uneventful though Equinox remained on high-alert, along with the other intelligence agencies for any threat from across the Iron Curtain. When the USSR fell in 1991, the Equinox Institute ended its constant vigil for paranatural threats and started taking steps to consolidate its position in a period of relative peace.
The First Paranatural War(s) in Play
The First Paranatural War(s) is a period in which paranatural phenomena begin to be used increasingly as tools for the promotion of various national interests. Equinox’s history allows them to remain one step ahead of other organisations and in doing so is given significant opportunities to shape allied organisations and prevent those with antagonistic aims from gaining too much of a foothold.
Importantly, above all else, the atrocities of the First World War, Second World War, Vietnam War and sadly, many others are, in our mind, something that should never be attributed (whether directly or indirectly) to the paranatural. To do so is to excuse the real terrible decisions, actions and events that occurred in those conflicts. It’s for this reason why we touch lightly upon events during this period of history and why we focus instead on the paranatural issues within the UK rather than abroad. It is an established fact that leaders and forces on both sides of the respective conflicts made their decisions without any knowledge of, or influenced by, the paranatural. If a character suggests otherwise in the context of the real world wars above, other characters are welcome to ridicule this as an out-dated and disproven theory.
Finally, most of Equinox’s current allies and enemies begin to arise during this time. The Central Paranatural Bureau, Jessie Avery Company and Pact Britannia all emerge in one form or another during this period. Other international organisations exist but, as of writing, these three remain the primary ones to have survived to the modern day.