A long time ago, when the world was new, and Man was beginning to plant the seeds of civilization, the Followers were already a very old group. You are heir to their mysterious knowledge.
Would that you were as powerful as in the days of old. Would that even a small fraction of their magic had not been forgotten.
In the days of ancient Babylon, the priests and priestess of Set ruled the fertile plains between the Tigris and Euphrates. Their word was law. Their magic was powerful. With hands raised into the sky in defiance of all of the other Babylonian gods, the minions of Set lifted the blocks of the Tower of Babel into place with barely a thought. The tower climbed to unimaginable heights. It pierced the sky. Legends say that one of the priests climbed into the crystal vault of the heavens and stepped upon the Moon.
Then came the Men (and Women) in Black. In a moment, the Tower crashed to the ground. The peasants revolted. At every turn, battles between the Followers of Set and Those In Black proved futile. Oh, they died like all the others, but in numbers that were less than those of the True Faith. Before long, the other temples saw their opportunity. The other priests and priestesses gathered the rabble. The Followers were forced into exile and hiding.
The Men and Women In Black, fools that they were, did not press this victory. They vanished from the earth. The Followers searched for them, from Lemuria to Atlantis, from desert to icy waste. When it seemed there could be no satisfying revenge, the Followers carefully gathered their scattered forces to rebuild. They waited and planned for the next opportunity...
In the days of golden Egypt, the priests and priestesses of Set ruled the Nile. Their word was law. Their magic was powerful. With hands raised into the sky in defiance of Ra, the minions of Set lifted the blocks of the pyramids into place on the backs of a handful of slaves. The pyramids reached high into the sky. Legends say that one of the priestesses climbed to the top of the pyramid and could see to the mouth of the Nile.
Then the Men (and Women) in Black returned. In a moment, the greatest of the pyramids was leveled. The Sphinx was forced to its knees and then onto its belly, its once proud stance reduced to a servile monument of frustration. The peasants revolted. At every turn, battles between the Followers of Set and Those In Black proved futile. Oh, they died like all the others, but in numbers that were less than those of the True Faith. Before long, the other temples saw their opportunity. The other priests and priestesses gathered the rabble. The Followers were forced into exile and hiding.
The Men and Women In Black, fools that they were, did not press this victory. They vanished from the earth. The Followers searched for them, from Lemuria to Atlantis, from desert to icy waste. In their wrath and frustration, they used many of their most potent remaining magics to sink Lemuria and Atlantis into the seas. This, they hoped, had silenced Those In Black forever. These magics came at great cost, decimating the Followers. It forced them to return to hiding, to wait and plan for the next opportunity.
This pattern has repeated itself unto this day. The Followers of Set gather their strength, pool what fraction of knowledge remains, and find a time and place to manuever into control. The Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Germany of World War I - all were controlled by the Followers of Set. All were brought down by another mysterious appearance of the Men and Women In Black. When the downfall was complete, and the abilities of the Followers were an order of magnitude less than before, the Enemy vanished, yet again, into thin air. (Fortunately, the magical powers and capabilities of Those In Black are also similarly reduced by each new phase of the conflict.)
At this point, there's practically no magic left whatsoever. About all that is possible is to tell a little about someone by concentrating at them. It's so frustrating. The ancients could move mountains. Now, there's next to nothing.
Eighteen months ago, one of the leaders of the group, known only by the secret name Antipodes (An-TIP-oh-dees), made a fateful prediction. Some months ahead, there would be a buildup of magical energy, one so strong it would give the Followers of Set their last, best chance to change the world. That buildup would occur early on March 15th, on the Eastern American seaboard. Here. Tomorrow. Further, he predicted that Those in Black would be gathered near to that buildup. Thus, the opportunity would exist to kill two birds with one stone: eliminate Those in Black, and return the Followers to their rightful position of power. Now, you only need to take advantage of it. Since Antipodes was one of the very few (the only?) of the Followers who seemed to be able to work any interesting magic - and since Antipodes' predictions were never wrong, it seems the time has come.
Somewhere along the way, the Con-Chair for Intercon the Thirteenth, Jeff Diewald, learned too much. Several years ago, he wrote The Idol Hands of Death. There are some parts of the game which come far too close to reality - it's clear to anyone who knows anything about the Followers of Set that he deliberately slandered the group. Antipodes only learned this recently - and quickly called for the ultimate sanction. Once the sanctions were agreed upon by the leadership, Antipodes began searching for the appropriate assassin to carry out this sentence.
Those In Black are at this time and place. You can sense it. So is this infidel Diewald.