Iro (Ratkin)

**Iro** is a Ratkin.

## Biography

All you ever wanted in life was to be left alone. A fair wage for a hard day's work shouldn't have been too much to ask. You're an American, and thought you had rights, but you took the privileges given you by the U.S. Constitution for granted. Then your world went to hell. The banks foreclosed on the family farm, you lost your job to foreign competition, and you found yourself living in the back of a camper. The rifle you stowed under the blankets became the only thing you could trust. Fortunately, there were organizations for disgruntled Americans like you. You started going to meetings for the free food, and the politics sounded just about right. They spoke with reverence about the Right to Bear Arms, the Right to Travel Freely, and just the Right to Peaceable Assembly. Maybe they were a little too extreme, but they treated you like a friend when no one else did. You knew the words they chanted: "Whenever any form of government cannot accomplish these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it...." Inspired by that phrase, they had formed a struggling but idealistic American militia. Unfortunately, the more you listened to them, the more elaborate their politics and conspiracies theories became. No two of them could really agree on who the real enemy was, who was to blame, who should be punished, or even what their militia should do. You showed up to their meetings regularly, but you were disappointed when they turned out to be all talk. You wanted action. You wanted justice. Then, while starving and desperate, you were Infected for the first time. It started out as pneumonia, but ended up in the greatest gift you could ever hope for. You had dreams of new family, one that lived in secret throughout the United States. They were a lot like your old allies but they actually took action. Everyone in your squad agreed on a set of common goals and actually helped each other to achieve them. Now you've got places to hide, a steady supply of provisions, and a war you think you're actually winning. To hell with the American government. You now serve a higher authority. You're a Warrior for the Ratkin Race. As a human, you were on the verge of welfare. As a Ratkin, you've got a place to sleep, a way to get food, and a mission in life. You consider solidarity in your pack to be very important, so you want to make sure everyone believes in the same goals. You've made a Contract with them: You'll help the pack in its short-term objectives as long as they help you in your armed resistance to the U.S. Government from time to time. You don't plan to blow up any federal buildings soon, for the time being, you'll wage your war one skirmish at a time. You have your own interpretations of "traditional American values." You are a warrior in a secret militia, one far beyond anything you've seen before. Be really careful where you disclose your political affiliations; you don't want to blow your cover too easily. Evaluate other members of the Ratkin Movement cautiously — distinguishing potential allies from crackpots is critical. You've got to be stoic. If you wait long enough, you know that your chance to strike back will come.

**Equipment:** pick-up truck, several rifles with ammunition, small plot of land, old computer with low baud modem (for accessing local bulletin boards), well-worn bible