The Host

Team History
In the aftermath of the War in the Heavens, the gods sealed themselves away in their separate realms for fear of destroying the universe should another conflict arise. These pocket dimensions were inaccessible to both mortals and the other gods, and would come to be known as the Realms of Heaven, including the Norse realm of Asgard, the Greco-Roman realm of Olympus and the Japanese realm of Takamagahara among countless others.

As the eons passed, the gods remained satisfied that their self-imposed exile was for the good of the universe, and yet they grew restless, increasingly desperate to impose their will upon the mortal realm.

In the early years of mankind, around 18,000BC, a primitive human woman known as J'Daa wandered to an ancient valley in modern-day Zimbabwe known as the Valley of the Almighty, and there she saw through the barriers separating the mortal world from the Realms of Heaven. She bore witness to the gods of old in their many shapes and sizes, and as she saw them, they looked back and saw not only an impressive specimen of a human being, but also an opportunity.

In this woman, the gods would have a conduit in the mortal realm, a method of maintaining a positive influence while removing any threat of destruction. J'Daa communed with the gods for five days and five nights, whereupon they agreed to each transfer a portion of their power to her, allowing her to become a vessel for the combined might of all the gods in the Heavens. In return, she would protect the Earth from the great threats moving in the darkness, and spread the light and wisdom of the gods.

With this bargain struck, the woman known as J'Daa left the Valley of the Almighty irrevocably changed. She was now Pantheon, the world's first superhuman.

The Gathering of the Host
Knowing that the burgeoning life on Earth would soon come under threat, Pantheon traveled the globe in search of other powerful creatures with whom she would fight back the darkness. She was plagued by dreams of a dark and ancient creature known as The Breaker who would pose a great danger to the world, and knew that she could not face this being alone, choosing to gather a host of strange and wondrous creatures to assist her.

The first such creature was the Eclipse, a young and playful spirit of shadow and moonlight granted life by the Norse moon god Máni. The pair danced and flowed across the world together, and although wordless, Eclipse embodied the confluence of darkness and light of which it was composed.

Next came Shenlong, the last living Chinese thunder dragon who was coaxed out of his life of self-imposed melancholy and drinking by the joy and laughter Pantheon and Eclipse brought into his life.

Soon afterwards, Pantheon encountered a human who was slightly less primitive than the rest and chose to share her knowledge with him, uplifting the simple human being into Merlin, the first sorcerer to walk the Earth.

Finally, as the coming of the Breaker drew closer, the makeshift team were joined by Gaia, a manifestation of the power of the Earth herself. Together this group would be known as The Host, and they took the burden of protecting the planet upon themselves.

The Coming of the Breaker
Eventually the events foretold by the gods and Pantheon's nightmares came to pass. Sensing strange activity originating on the Earth, the universe reacted by sending the Breaker to cleanse the sickness. This creature acted as the immune system for the universe, eliminating potential threats before they could spread and impact the fabric of reality itself.

The unexpected superhuman activity that started with the birth of Pantheon had registered as a possible threat, and the Breaker was dispatched to protect the universe at the cost of the Earth. But the Host had gathered and would not allow this burgeoning world to be ended prematurely, even if it meant going against the will of the cosmos.

As the Breaker arrived on Earth, the Host attacked. A battle raged for what seemed like an eternity, the Breaker carving deep valleys in the face of the planet with his might axe, and the world's protectors fighting back with all their strength.

Gaia summoned the powers of the storm, the tidal wave, earthquakes and volcanoes, pummeling the Breaker with every defensive mechanism the Earth had to offer. Shenlong rode the storms and unleashed a flurry of savage blows on the titanic creature. Pantheon used the strength of the gods to bring the beast to its knees. Merlin let loose the primal forces of magic and nature upon the Breaker's armour, and finally managed to crack it open.

Finally, Eclipse shone a beam of pure moonlight into the creature's dark heart, and burned it from the inside out. The Breaker was defeated, and crumbled into ashes which Shenlong scooped up and scattered on the mighty winds of the storm.

Aftermath
With their duties fulfilled, the Host gradually drifted apart to spread their influence across the world. Eclipse bonded indelibly with the human race, forging a new connection with a member of the species every time the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. Immortal Shenlong took the form of a human to wander the Earth, helping those in need of help until such time as the world would once again have need of dragons.

Gaia and Merlin travelled together, forging a love that would outlast reality. When Merlin spoke of his need to travel to other realms away from the Earth, Gaia cried a storm that filled the rivers and oceans and then retreated into the molten core of the planet until her lover returned to her.

Merlin inspired the magic users of humanity and the other realms, then fell into a deep slumber among the roots of Yggdrasil, the World's Tree, from which he would awaken at a time of great need.

Pantheon's legacy would outlast them all, as she remained a watchful protector of the planet for millennia to come, choosing to operate in the shadows until the Founder Invasion in 1947, when she revealed herself to the world.