In the end, it was the beginning. But first, it was the end. - New Tellurian Bible, Book of Hunter: Devastations 1
Even as it happened, people disagreed as to what was happening. Some said it was the Second Coming. Others believed the flames of the Final War had been sparked at last. Still others claimed it was an alien invasion, or a nuclear experiment gone horribly wrong. Regardless of what really happened, the course of human history changed forever at the beginning of the third millennium. Billions died in the first days, over two-thirds of the world's population. The Earth's governments vanished virtually overnight.
The devastation was beyond description. Scattered bands of refugees cowered in shock under ash-darkened skies, finding shelter in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the ruins of the once-proud cities. Humanity had fallen, and the heirs of the 21st century fought one another like beasts over the scraps of civilization. Many evidently salved their tortured existence with powerful drugs that further eroded their minds.
Historical records are nonexistent until after the year 2015, and most journals describing the time refer to a hellish struggle in some kind of gladiatorial game held for unseen alien tyrants. Thousands of survivors made the same claim, with extensively detailed descriptions. However, archaeologists and historians have found no hard evidence to support this claim. There are no alien remains, no arcane relics, and no wrecked spaceships in the 29th century. Regardless of the claims, however, 2015 marked the time when mankind began to crawl out of the ratholes and sewers to live again under the open sky.
Jake Hunter Savior of Humanity. Redeemer. Saint. Fraud. Killer. Leader. Jake Hunter was all of these. In 2829 he was revered as the messiah who single-handedly dragged humanity out of the darkness of the Devestation and led people toward rebuilding the world. Historical evidence confirmed the existence of Hunter, but the story of his life remains a mystery.
The Recovery
The leader who almost single-handedly dragged these ragged survivors out of the darkness is known to history as Jake Hunter. Hunter formed a government in the blasted remains of the United States and led people in the first steps toward rebuilding the world. While evidence does establish the existence of Hunter himself, the myth that surrounds him is a matter of faith and belief.
Reliable descriptions of Jake Hunter's early life are few and heavily wrapped in the trappings of fable. Some say he was born in the alien arenas and took his first prey while still an infant. Others say he was simply a hunter and warrior of exceptional skill and talent. Hunter himself claimed he had fought in bloodsport games for the unknown extraterrestrial "Masters." He went further, however, and asserted he had allied with an alien beast-man called Garathe Den. Together, he said they had escaped from the "Masters" and solved the true challenge. Hunter said the aliens then departed, promising to return someday.
Hunter undeniably possessed a powerful charisma, the proverbial "look of eagles," for people flocked to his banner. For ten years, humanity rallied under his leadership and struggled to reestablish laws, schools, farms, and hospitals. The challenges were enormous. Disease and violence ran rampant, and many unfortunate souls sought solace in home-brewed, extremely potent drugs. Then Jake Hunter vanished from the records in 2025.
The Rapture Offensive
Like the rest of his life, Hunter's disappearance remains the stuff of legend, indeed even of theology. His followers claim he took a platoon of troops in a spaceship to destroy an alien warstation orbiting the moon. They say that this mission, dubbed "The Rapture Offensive" was a success, but that Jake Hunter did not return.
Some scholars point to the term "Rapture Offensive" to show that the entire life of Jake Hunter was merely a myth, a messiah delusion, a collective hysteria among people who had suffered through the apocalypse. And yet, Jake Hunter has ascended to a divine mantle, deity or saint, depending on the faith. He has become a fixture in nearly every major religion of Earth. Whatever the truth, the Hunter brought light to the people of Earth in a time of great despair and darkness, and his memory lives forever in the hearts of humanity.