Everybody Wants to Save the World
Years ago, Nightlords from the Nightbane Earth discovered Rifts Earth and planned on making a foothold to expand their power. They came across, reconned many of the major powers active at the time and focused upon the Federation of Magic and NEMA/the Coalition.
The Federation of Magic was able to determine who and what these new dimensional beings were and actively worked against their plans. Lord Dunscon went so far as to put bounties on any being from the Nightlands to keep them from settling in lands allied by the Federation of Magic.
At the time, the Coalition was in upheaval and it was easy for the group to infiltrate the organization. Doppelgangers, led by an Avatar, supplanted key members of certain departments and began to build their own internal powerbase. Keeping them from being found was the interwoven task of each department they were now responsible for.
As time when on, and their power was secure enough, they used their influence to begin to talk the command structure into expanding Coalition Territory. Prosek then realized his organization had been infiltrated but not by whom and, rather than admit it publicly and split the Cause, he encouraged the new faction to expand the Coalition.
The new splinter group made its way to Pittsburgh where they say a new Coalition city will be located. The resources available in that particular city include multiple waterways, a defunct manufacturing base, and a location to keep their eyes on the Federation of Magic. In reality, the Avatar and followers will be using Pittsburgh for another of its resources: The Ley Lines.
The power of those specific Ley Lines in conjunction with a dimension opening ritual will breach into the world of Nightbane Earth where Nightlords from their Pittsburgh will open a corresponding breach. A third Rift needs to be opened to a Hellish realm to entice a demon/devil through to Rifts Earth. When it comes through, it will be killed and the excess PPE caused by the sacrifice will spike to complete the ritual of permanent dimensional gate opening, giving the Nightlords access to spread their power to Rifts Earth.
Two options:
1) Word is sent to Coalition through channels that the individuals in this splinter group are not human, but D-Bees and are using them to further their non-human cause. The Coalition sends out a large contingent to investigate.
2) Word is sent to Lord Dunscon that the Nightlords are trying to take over Rifts Earth starting in their own back yard. A magic-user vs magic-user battle ensues over the right to hold Pittsburgh.
Even after the battle, while the ritual was not successful, the Nightlords are able to maintain a foothold on Rifts Earth.
As a side note, some of these next characters are based on past PCs.
The “characters” are a part of a mercenary company based in the ruins of Kansas City. They found information related to the infiltration of the Coalition months/years ago but had no context or proof, so it was filed away and dismissed. When troop movements increased, they began to take notice. Their business is buying and selling information, scavenging battle sites for items to sell, and, of course, fighting for a price. Where the Coalition goes, conflict is sure to follow.
Information starts to make sense and not make sense at the same time: Coalition moving to take over new territory and Coalition has been taken over by D-Bees going to open a rift to alternate dimension. They send a team to gather information first-hand from Chi-Town. There are still Nightbane embedded within key positions. (What do they do?)