Iraq Backstory

From Gothpoodle

Shadow of Iraq

Prior to the war, Iraq was predominantly Pure. The Predator Kings controlled the Kurdish north, the Ivory Claws ruled the Baathist stronghold of Baghdad, and the Fire-Touched controlled the Shiite south. This situation has been completely upset, with Pure fighting each other and newly arrived Forsaken packs for territory. In addition, the bombing near Babylon woke an idigam called Sirrush after the dragon-like monster of Babylonian legend (which some Iraqi Uratha speculate is one of the spawn of Tiamat). This being is able to abduct humans and turn them into monstrous creatures which wander the Shadow or, occasionally, cross over at loci and terrorize the material world.

Baghdad

Bagdad is the site of a struggle between Sunni Ivory Claws and Shiite Fire-Touched to cement control over new territories carved out of the aftermath of the invasion. In addition, foreign Forsaken packs are attempting to drive them out and convert or recruit local Uratha to their tribes. These latter packs are mostly allied with the U.S. military or foreign aid agencies currently, so they are desperate to recruit Iraqi Uratha.

There are signficant Azlu and Beshilu infestations throughout the city and evidence of at least on swarm of Srizaku in the areas north and east of it. The city has numerous wounds, barrens, and shoals. Many of the local spirits are dislocated, wound-corrupted, and/or desperate and thus there are a lot of spirit-ridden of every sort. Not to mention that every once in a while some monstrous terror from the idigam in Babylon stumbles into the local Shadow (or worse, through a Locus into the material world) and has to be put down.

Forsaken Packs

• Shadow Command: Storm Lord officers in the U.S. Military.
• Ghost Jackals: Blood Talon covert ops squad reporting to Shadow Command.
• Death Owls: Blood Talon sniper/recon squad reporting to Shadow Command.
• New Dawn: Civilian contractor Iron Master pack, Lodge of Stones.
• Shitstorm: Ghost Wolf pack of Armee Savage Lodge, mostly mercenaries.
• Sons of Marduk: British civilian Bone Shadow/Hunter in Darkness pack fighting the idigam in Babylon.

Rough Timeline

• Mar 2003: Pre-Change Specialist Lee Carter arrives in Iraq with the initial invasion. Mercenary and gun-runner Christoval Delgado arrives in Iraq shortly after the invasion as an "embedded civilian contractor" to the Ghost Jackals.
• Apr 2003: Lee is arrested after a near-fight with her commanding officer. She is taken to a makeshift brig where she undergoes her First Change under the supervision of Lt. Max Cartwright of the Shadow Command and the A-Team of the Ghost Jackals.
• May 2003: Lee received a promotion to Sergeant and takes command of the A-Team of the Ghost Jackals under Staff Sergeant Leo Kellerman, squad leader and pack alpha.
• Jun 2003: A-Team joined by Private Ahmed Tile, an Iraqi-American, who becomes pack omega.
• Spring 2004: The Ghost Jackals uncover a massive Beshilu nest and move in to clear it out. Sergeant Kellerman is killed and Lee proves herself, stepping into command and saving the new omega. Corporal Eddie Garrison becomes leader of the A-Team. Sergeant Ken Simmons, leader of B-Team, challenges Lee for alpha several times before summer. While he finally accepts her as alpha, he is stubborn about control of his team.
• Summer 2004: The squad spends most of the summer in constant combat with Fire-Touched in Sadr City. There is significant tension between Lee and her superiors and Sgt. Simmons over the killing of Pure. She goes so far as to physically restrain Simmons on one occasion when he slipped into Death Rage after she refused to let him kill a Pure prisoner. The situation was eventually resolved when Delgado gave detailed information on the "insurgents" to conventional military to convince them to perform an air strike, removing the threat.
• Winter 2005: Close brush with a Srizaku during a simple escort operation.
• Spring 2005: Lee finally receives her promotion to Staff Sergeant.
• Summer 2005: The squad engaged in a running battle with a Sunni Ivory Claw pack throughout the summer with much frustration on either side. Every advance brings an attack from one of the new Shiite Fire-Touched packs, forcing them to disengage and defend their flanks. In the end, no ground is gained by either side.
• Fall 2005: Lee defeats a djinn in single combat when the pack is sent to assist the Sons of Marduk.
• Winter 2006: The squad is led into an ambush by the Ivory Claw pack during which all of the B-Team is killed except for Specialist Eric Anderson, their Arab-language expert, who provided the intelligence that led them into the ambush. Sergeant Simmons, as he dies, utters the First Tongue word for "Soulless Wolf". An Army investigation begins as the pack tries to find the AWOL soldier, but they are too restricted in their movements. Incongruities are found in the falsified records of the squad's activities and Lee gives herself up the military authorities rather than have the Lieutenant exposed.
• Spring 2006: Delgado tracks down and kills the Bale Hound Anderson in his Wound lair. Meanwhile, the investigation is able to come up with no charges against Lee, due to the lack of cooperation of the remains of the squad and Delgado. Lee and Garrison are given a dishonorable discharge and Delgado's contractor privileges are revoked.
• Summer 2006: Lee and Delgado return to their native San Francisco. Garrison renounces his tribe and joins Shitstorm. The other three members of the squad are reassigned.