"Happy New Year!" The cheers exploded alongside fireworks marking the start of the new age. The year 2029 rang in with thunderous cheers. The moon acting as a celestial messenger, foreboding things to come.
A total lunar eclipse casting the world in an Umbral shadow to welcome in the new year. Everyone welcomed the event with high spirits but not everything was as joyous as the celebration seemed. As the shadow crested at its highest point the world was brought to its knees. Red and black lightning poured down from the moon opening gates to another realm. With the opening came the flood of hell spawn leaving streets painted red in blood and viscera as the nightmarish creatures ventured forth into their new world. Simultaneously across the globe hundreds of these gates opened releasing abominations of all shapes and sizes. Humanity fought back with all the might of modern military and weaponry. However the cataclysmic event is more accurately described as massacre than a battle. The beasts laid waste to entire cities in a matter of hours.
Within a month humanity was reduced by over half. The skies left plagued by flying nightmares capable of lifting entire busses into the air and flying away with them. The seas once seen as safe passage for all types of travels now lay an abyss of ancient terrors capable of destroying entire freight boats in a matter of seconds. Humanity had been thrown at the door of extinction.
Until one man now harolded as the savior of humanity created a way to fight back. Dr.Harovic a geneticist had started a series of mad experiments with the cells of one of the few nightmarish creatures that humanity had triumphed against. Using these cells he created a serum. This serum originally intended to enhance the physical abilities of humans to match the strength of the hell spawn. However instead the serum created a connection to the realm on the other side of the portal. Awakening a large array of abilities within those who survived the injections. Those who awakened the abilities of the other realm donned the title of gate keepers. With this new bastion of soldiers humanity made a final stand. With their new found powers the last remnants of humanity created safe havens called citadels.
However even at extinctions door, humanity had reared the ugly head of greed. Wealthy and powerful families were the first to find home within the walls of the citadels. With that came an entrance fee. People fought to procure housing within the fortified walls of the citadel. Whether through use of coin and wares or through the value they bring to society with skills. Those without the ability to produce either of the necessary weren't so lucky. Without the abilities of any gate keepers to maintain safety out in the hell scape of nightmare creatures. They count to the walls of the citadels. Creating entire slums of ramshackle housing. While the slums were left largely undefended from the harsh reality that the world faced. The gate keepers watching the walls of the citadel provided some defense when a nightmare creature made its way into the slums. Most attacks still resulted in a wake of destruction, leaving dozens of eviscerated remains lining the streets before a gate keepers could take care of the nightmare creature. This harsh reality left many broken families and children orphaned without any place to call home.
The citadels were seen as a safe haven but even then stories brewed of entire citadels being laid to waste by ancient terrors passing through the gates. Some beasts being simply to strong for any gate keepers to fight back. Humanity had made a final stand but that stand was just enough to push back the clock on extinction. Not enough to actually prevent the ever present threat of total annihilation. Due to this fact screenings took place once a year. Anyone over the age of 16 could apply to have the serum injected into their body however the current survival rate of the injections was around 20% with only 1 in 5 people surviving. With humanities already dwindling numbers and the press of the nightmare creatures becoming more and more apparent. Things were looking dire in all areas. The planet that was once booming with life had been pressed to a desolate wasteland of abominations.