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For the timeline of Deadlock's development, see Deadlock#Development.
“Most people think the supernatural came into the world 50 years ago. They’re wrong.— Warden's background
The following is a list of known dated events in the Deadlock timeline.
Timeline
The Deadlock timeline and time period are kept purposefully ambiguous, as the game is still in development and story aspects are subject to change. However, based on context clues such as references to the 1949 musical South Pacific[1][2][3][4] by various characters, it can be inferred that the game takes place circa the 1930s-1940s (see Historical References below). The buildings in the Cursed Apple use architectural references from New York City up to 1932.[5] Even so, there are visual references from later in the 20th century: Shiv's design is reminiscent of a 1950s Greaser, while Billy is inspired by 1970s Punks. The computer in the Hideout is similar to the 1973 Xerox Alto, one of the first personal computers, albeit with a typewriter keyboard.
The timeline below is based on mentioned in-game events and the Lady Geist visual novel. Events without a specific year use the date of the ritual as a reference point.
| Date | Events |
|---|---|
| Undated (1624-1664) |  The Drifter visits New Amsterdam[6][7]
|
| 1692 | The Salem Witch Trials take place, leading to the killing of  Vindicta[8]
|
| 1805 | Johann Geist is born[9] |
| 1815 |  Jeanne (Lady Geist) is born[9]
|
| 1850 | Walter Geist is born[9] |
| 1880 | Johann Geist dies[9] |
| 50 years B.R. (Before the ritual) | The first Maelstrom occurs. The existence of the supernatural is revealed to humanity.[10] Vindicta is brought back to Earth as a ghost,  Dynamo loses his body and becomes a dying star, and Lady Geist makes a deal with Oathkeeper in exchange for eternal youth.
|
| 31 years B.R. | Dynamo marries Marla[11]
|
| 23 years B.R. |  Pocket is born[12]
|
| 18-20 years B.R. |  Ivy comes to life[13]
|
| 18 years B.R. |  Apollo is born[14]
|
| 10 years B.R. |  Grey Talon retires[15]
|
| 5 years B.R. | South Ixia joins the US.[16] An assassination attempt occurs on Pocket's 18th birthday and they are thought to have been killed,[12] leading  Mina to become a vampire.
|
| 6 months B.R. | The Troubadour murders multiple people in Illinois and disappears[17] |
| Year of the ritual | Celestial Alignment, the second Maelstrom and the ritual take place |
Historical references
List of references to real-world historical events, groups and individuals in Deadlock and their real-world dates.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream,[18][19] Performed 1595-1596.
- Henry V (play),[20] Performed 1599-1600.
- Othello,[21] performed in 1601-1604.
- Macbeth[22] - 1623
- Salem Witch Trials[8] - 1692-1693
- Catherine the Great[23] - Died in 1796
- George Frederick Cooke[24] - Died in 1812
- Pride and Prejudice,[25] Published in 1813.
- Wuthering Heights,[18] Published in 1847.
- The Picture of Dorian Gray,[26] Published in 1891.
- The Adventure of the Empty House (Sherlock Holmes story),[27] Published in 1903.
- The Wind in the Willows,[28] Published in 1908.
- Grigori Rasputin[29] - Died in 1916
- Romanov family[30] - Executed in 1918
- Hercule Poirot,[31] First created in 1920.
- Soviet Union ("Soviet Empire")[23] - Created in 1922
- Harry Houdini's death[32] - 1926
- Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster[33] - Opened in 1927
- Radio City Rockettes dance company[34] - Moved to New York in 1932
- Of Mice and Men,[35] Published in 1937.
- Boston Celtics team[36][37][38] - Founded in 1946
- Knickerbockers team (New York Knicks)[37][38] - Founded in 1947
- The CIA[39][40] - Formed in 1947
- South Pacific (Broadway Musical)[1][2][3][4]- Opened in April 1949
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (book)[41] - Published in 1950
- The United States Environmental Protection agency[42] - Formed in 1970
Branching Timelines
Due to the multiple choice aspect of the Deadlock visual novels, there are multiple potential timelines of events that happened shortly before and after the ritual.
Trivia
- Some posters on the map used to show specific dates, such as a Jazz Festival poster dated 1927 and a Rescue Beam poster dated 1939. Those posters have either been edited or removed from the map over time.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Newscaster's in-game voice line - "Rodgers and Hammerstein's latest musical 'South Pacific' has become the hottest ticket in town. With some would-be theater-goers selling 1/8th of their souls to scalpers for prime seating!"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ivy's in-game voice line (in Spanish and English) - "Talvez deberia comprar tickets for South Pacific. (Maybe I should buy tickets for South Pacific.)"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
Viscous's in-game voice line - "The Patrons can wait. I want to see South Pacific."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1
The Doorman's in-game voice line - "After the ritual is complete, if you’d like tickets to South Pacific, don’t be afraid to ask."
- ↑ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3378301007
- ↑ Drifter's in-game voice line - "The elders of New Amsterdam are soft, clinging to archaic titles like they grant them real power."
- ↑
Amber Hand's in-game voice line - "Welcome back to New York, Drifter. Oh, how we missed you."
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Vindicta's backstory - "A victim of John Hathorne during the Salem Witch Trials, Vindicta got a second chance of life when her spirit was brought back to the mortal plane during the first Maelstrom (the event that introduced the supernatural to the public at large)."
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The Binding of Oathkeeper - Chapter 5H
- ↑
Warden's backstory - "Most people think the supernatural came into the world 50 years ago."
- ↑ Dynamo and Kelvin conversation
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Pocket's backstory - "Arin Fairfax, the eldest heir to Fairfax Industries, has been living in hiding for the past 5 years after being shot and left for dead on their 18th birthday."
- ↑ Ivy's background says it was 18 years ago, but in the visual novel she says it has been 20 years
- ↑ Apollo And Celeste Conversation 3 - "Most 18-year-olds aren't about to summon an Elder God."
- ↑ Grey Talon's backstory - "Wesley Grey Talon spent close to 40 years hunting monsters that preyed on man before finally deciding to find a replacement and lay down his bow."
- ↑ Newscaster's in-game voice line - "Next week will mark the 5 year anniversary of South Ixia officially joining the United States as its 52nd state."
- ↑
Holliday's backstory - "When she confronted him he exploded into a murder of crows and flew away. That was 6 months ago"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1
Paige's in-game voice line - "Okay let’s see, got my King Arthur, got my Midsummer Night’s Dream, got my Wuthering Heights... I mean, that one’s probably less useful, but you never know when you’ll need a byronic hero for something romantic yet dangerous!"
- ↑ Paige's Ability lines
- ↑
Paige's in-game voice line - "It's Saint Crispin's day, baby!"
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line (angry): "I need to go full Iago and ruin their life."
- ↑ Apollo And Holliday Conversation 2 - "No, I'm carrying it because I'm in Macbeth. What do you think?"
- ↑ 23.0 23.1
Raven's backstory - "Led by the specter of Catherine the Great, the Soviet Empire has flourished in a brave new world of mysticism."
- ↑ Newscaster's in-game voice line - "George Frederick Cooke is primed to take the stage once more. But are audiences ready to see a headless ghost as a leading man?"
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line - "Do you think I brought enough books? I mean, it’s probably enough, but I remember this one time I planned on it being an Austen day, but life was like: “sorry lady, it’s Brontë time,” and I was just, god, I was not prepared."
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line (killed Lady Geist): "So long, Lady Dorian Grey!"
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line (angry): "The bad guys never get away with it!.. Well, Moriarty kind of does, but then Doyle gave up on his conviction, so it doesn't count."
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line (pass M&K on zipline): "Oh, it's like The Wind in the Willows with guns."
- ↑ Raven's in-game voice line - "Rasputin has best not meddle in my plans."
- ↑ Raven's in-game voice line - "The Romanovs don't take kindly to failure."
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line - "Who’s got time to complete a ritual when when Hercule Poirot is in the middle of solving a mystery!"
- ↑ Newscaster's in-game voice line - "Is Harry Houdini really dead? Recent reports suggest that the legendary magician's final trick was to escape death itself!"
- ↑ Newscaster's in-game voice line - "A necromancer harvesting fear from the Coney Island cyclone was arrested today. Coney Island officials could not be reached for comment."
- ↑ Newscaster's in-game voice line - "The tree is lit, the Rockettes are kicking, and magic is in the air. It's holiday time in New York!"
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line (killed Viscous): "I feel like George to his Lennie..."
- ↑
Shopkeeper's in-game voice line - "Wow, if it isn't the poster boy for the Celtics!"
- ↑ 37.0 37.1
Trapper's in-game voice line - "First I summon a god, then I watch the Knickerbockers destroy the Celtics!"
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Newscaster's in-game voice line - "The Knickerbockers' losing streak continues, after a humiliating defeat to the Celtics. In unrelated news, no one likes the Celtics."
- ↑
Haze's backstory - "The Occult Security and Investigation Commission is a black box government organization that makes the CIA look transparent."
- ↑
Wrecker's backstory - "From CIA-employed seers identifying threats decades before they rise to power to occult pacts made in smoky backrooms"
- ↑ Paige's in-game voice line (ping Billy) - "Let's take out Mr. Tumnus!"
- ↑ Newscaster's in-game voice line newscaster_headline_77 - "The EPA has issued another sanction to Fairfax Industries. Citing their improper disposal of spiritual waste was not just an affront to nature, but a threat to it!"
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