Modern America
and the world as you know it.
Where it all began
During the turn of the new century, the United States saw their celebration cut short by the emergence of a strange phenomenon: People both young and old began to mutate inexplicably — Developing powers, changing appearances, standing out as something unknown to the recent world. Strange and unfamiliar, even in the beginning, people were distrustful of those impacted despite limited incidents regarding intentional power misuse. Occults, they'd adopted for those who take on these mysterious abilities.
Meanwhile, a portion of the gulf coast became nearly uninhabitable as a growing forest ate its way to prominence. Towns and their history were swallowed whole by the mutating vegetation, its magic growing alongside an afflicted population. Amidst evacuations, it was discovered that occults were unaffected by the magically-charged environment while non-occults degraded due to exposure. Attempts to combat the growth were fruitless and, within less than a year, officials conceded it was hopeless. Once the spread slowed, the forest was fenced in along the boundary. There it remained, yet unnamed and entirely unrecognizable. The government made an effort to scrub mentions of it.
The Parasite
Tensions towards occults worsened during 2003 after what is now considered the "Imposter Incident."
Senator Carson McCoy, a presidential electee for the upcoming race, had been known for his conservative ideas, but several weeks of hypocritical stances and walk-backs had people left his many supporters confused. His family complained of the politician's worsening memory and uncharacteristic behavior. Rumors were put to rest when the real Senator McCoy was found by his youngest daughter, bound and locked in an old woodshed in the forest surrounding his estate.
Feeble, but alive, McCoy confronted his imposter days later during a televised campaign speech. Cornered, the imposter shed their disguise and vanished into the crowd. While never apprehended, the incident shook populace on both sides of the fence. Goodwill faded rapidly following the national coverage of this story and caused rife paranoia towards occults, and one another.
Following his kidnapping, support for McCoy's anti-occult agenda bolstered him into favor, and he began drafting the Eden Proposal.
the garden of eden
god loves you, but not enough to save you.
The Banishing
The Eden Proposal outlined a plan to send occults to the forest where they would "thrive in its magic-based setting," though it lacked any specifics on how those relocated would be supported. Even at the time, this document was deemed highly controversial. It remained in a constant cycle of vetoes and amendments. But as McCoy's campaign resided on a heavy anti-occult stance, his eventual election fast-tracked acceptance of the Eden Proposal that same year.
Resting atop a powerful plane of mysterious magic, the forest was dubbed the Garden of Eden. This was relayed to the people who were rounded up and sent to Eden's gates. Twenty years have passed since the first group was forced inside. Occult numbers have dwindled significantly in outer society — It's rare to meet another who isn't a family member these days. President McCoy has long been out of office, however his influence is undeniably outlasting. The Eden Proposal is still in effect, albeit with more scrutiny than it's had.
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