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The Modern Era (1992 – Present)

The current era has seen the Equinox Institute grow and develop into its modern equivalent.

Restructuring and Consolidation (1992 – 1998)

During this period of relative peace, the Equinox Institute undergoes a period of restructuring. Notably, policies are put in place to allow for Equinox cells to have autonomy in their leadership and carrying out of day-to-day operations. Communication between Cells is restricted during this and managed by the Court to ensure secrecy and to prevent a coordinated insurrection from occurring again. This organisational structure continues to this day.

“The Modern Roanoke” – Mystic, Connecticut (June 1999 – January 2000)

June 1999 saw a sudden increase in the reports of paranatural phenomena worldwide. Equinox, experienced with these events, quickly set to work and in doing so, was able to limit the general public’s exposure to the paranatural and keep casualties to a minimum. Still the number and intensity of paranatural phenomena recorded was more than previously been on record and only continued to increase as the new Millenium approached. 

It all came to a head in the United States with a great storm that engulfed the East Coast of the United States and seemingly focussed on the town of Mystic, Connecticut. As midnight approached, communication with the populace was cut-off. Emergency services, friends and family fought throughout the night to reach Mystic even as New Year’s celebrations broke out across the rest of the globe. 

It was in the early hours of 1 January that the first responders managed to make it through to the town. What they found, shook them to the core.

The town had been damaged extensively with thick plumes of black smoke continuing to rise from still-burning shop fronts. Abandoned cars and boats littered the roads and shore alike, while the Bascule Bridge spanning the Mystic River, appeared to be completely destroyed. Yet none of these compared to the mystery of what had happened to the residents – for it appeared that every one of the approximately 4,000 people who called the city their home had completely disappeared without a trace.

The Bureau and Equinox responded quickly to the crisis and for a short while, Mystic Connecticut was dubbed the ‘Modern Roanoke’ by the international press. Both organisations struggled to hide the obviously paranatural event and soon it became apparent this was an incident which was too big for both organisations to handle either alone or together.

International Cooperation (2000 – 2015)

The events at Mystic attracted the attention of a number of international bodies specialised in the paranatural. In the weeks that followed the UN quietly brought these teams together to form the UNAC (the Unified Arts Coalition), a small independent international body tasked with investigating the paranatural, limiting the spread of its damage and ensuring that it caused no harm or panic to humanity. The Equinox Institute was one of the founding members of the coalition, alongside the Central Paranatural Bureau. 

The investigation took over a decade, during which time members of the UNAC worked tirelessly to determine not only the cause of the event but to sow doubt among the general public as to what had truly occurred that New Year’s Eve. By 2015 and the inquiry’s conclusion, only a few fact had been truly established. The first was that the paranatural event had been foreshadowed by a number of smaller events in the build-up. Secondly, that the cause of these events was seemingly attributable to a small group of individuals with exceptional paranatural abilities. These individuals had travelled to Mystic, Connecticut for some unknown purpose and, upon arrival, had come into conflict with one another. Worst of all, it seemed the citizens of Mystic had been caught in the crossfire of whatever had occurred.

The outcome of the investigation was not satisfactory to many in attendance, leaving more questions than answers. Local paranatural threats drew members away from the UNAC and slowly but surely the events of Mystic Connecticut were marked down as an avoidable tragedy within the paranatural intelligence community – one which Equinox and others were keen to ensure would not come to pass again.

Uncertain Times (2016 – Present)

The last decade has been an uncertain time for the Equinox Institute. Paranatural phenomena has been few and far between – isolated to select regions and locations where they have become the responsibility of local Cells. It’s a peaceful time but one filled with political and economic challenges rather than paranatural. Still the Institute refuses to rest on its laurels as it looks at ways to better support and assist those affected by the paranatural. The establishment of an independent charity, the Davies Group, has gone some way to assisting with this. 

Within the wider international paranatural community, there has been significant upheaval. 

The Bureau’s stance on the paranatural has taken an altogether more aggressive approach – focussing instead on the destruction of the paranatural and targeting threats to national security that occur outside its borders. The UNAC has been unable to do anything to curb this approach, despite its attempts to build lines of communication with other paranatural groups. Groups such as the Athenaeum, Nobility and Jessie Avery Company have all stepped up activity and established tenuous links with Equinox which it works hard to maintain. 

New threats begin to emerge as the internet allows groups like CognitoHazard to flourish – their paranatural activities a threat to the tenuous masquerade maintained by Equinox and its allies. Meanwhile the spectre of the far-right rears its ugly head both online and in parliament and with it, rumours that the Pact is still at large and waiting for its time to strike.

And beside all these new threats, paranatural or otherwise, dwell in the dark – ready to test the resolve of the Institute in the months and years to come…

The Modern Era in Play

The Modern Era is the period in which the game takes place. It is a world which is like our own. On the surface, the world does not appear to be an unusual or strange place but look beneath the surface and the eldritch, occult and alien can all be found. To maintain this masquerade is difficult but Equinox and its allies work around the clock to maintain it.

Secondly, the events of Mystic Connecticut exist as tangible evidence of what happens when Equinox and its allies fail to resolve the horrors posed by the paranatural. It is designed as a constant reminder that there is more than personal lives at stake and that the organisation and its members all act for something much bigger than themselves. These events will have all been within the lifetime of most player characters and, if not, would have almost certainly be shared with them by a colleague or even family member (after all the public hasn’t forgotten what occurred, it is just that the official story will never be known). It is therefore acceptable to remember the event and the days following in your backstory but please note that stories that claim a character was present in Mystic on the night everyone disappeared will be rejected. 

Finally, the challenges of this era are also a lot like our own. Climate change, natural disasters, famine, discrimination, prejudice and manipulation of the media are all present along with the paranatural. We intend to treat this sincerely and honestly throughout the game and we ask our attendees to do so likewise while following our code of conduct and policies.