Campaign: When The War Began

2022–2026: The Pandora Initiative

In the wake of increasing reports of anomalous biological activity and unexplained signal phenomena across multiple regions, a secretive joint NATO-aligned research program called the Pandora Initiative was launched—operating out of a subterranean facility in Merak. Its purpose was twofold:

• Biological enhancement: Viral genome manipulation, cognitive augmentation, and post-human adaptation for battlefield superiority.

• Signal resonance research: Linked to an unclassified project called VEIL, which monitored unknown frequencies believed to originate from deep-sea formations and off-planet signal drift.

These objectives were merged into one directive: reshape human warfare through understanding and interfacing with the unknown.

2026: The Infiltration

In March 2026, the Pandora Lab was breached. Internal reports downplayed the event—no samples were believed missing, and no casualties occurred. The case was buried.

They were wrong.

Later forensic and intelligence analysis revealed that the infiltration was likely orchestrated by the Obsidian Pact, a rogue paramilitary-technocratic force known for weaponizing both ideology and emergent technologies. What they took remains classified—but it was enough to change everything.

December 2027: The Veil Event

In December 2027, Pandora Merak went dark. For 18 hours, all communication ceased. Satellites recorded a complete EM blackout followed by a sudden, unprecedented signal surge. What happened inside remains classified or forgotten.

Soon after, across the globe:

• Reports of mass hallucinations, blackout zones, and unexplained deaths multiplied.

• Civilian populations exposed to recovered signal patterns began exhibiting synchronized dreams, erratic behavior, and signs of biological mutation.

• Isolated conflict zones became hotspots for "anomalous convergence"—areas where reality bent, and known physics began to collapse.

• Governments scrambled for answers. Most failed.

2028: The Fracture

The world did not unite in the face of the unknown. It shattered.

Governments collapsed, turned inward, or lashed out at rivals—blaming one another for the experiments and the spread of contagion. Paranoia exploded. Proxy wars ignited across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Rogue states and black-budget programs activated old war plans. Cities burned under both riot and drone fire.

Into the chaos stepped factions—old, new, and

Faction Responses To  The  Pandora-Veil Cascade

(Post-Veil Event, 2028 — Global instability and faction reactivity)

Blackstone Security

“You wanted silence. We buried it.”

• Blackstone was one of three forces deployed during the initial Joint Operation on Merak in early 2028.

• Contracted under a multi-national recovery tasking, Blackstone’s objective was to secure classified research, suppress hostile elements, and stabilize the situation before media or political fallout occurred.

• Their teams engaged in direct combat with Obsidian-aligned actors and recovered hard data leading to the identification of the 2026 infiltrators.

• Since Merak, Blackstone has taken a lead role in global containment, operating across conflict zones to eliminate trace elements tied to the Pandora Initiative and secure unstable research nodes, while they work secretly with Black Division. 

Obsidian Pact

“To reclaim the East, we must first control the unknown.”

• Believed responsible for the 2026 breach of the Pandora lab, Obsidian Pact’s operatives exfiltrated encrypted data and unclassified biological material.

• Post-incident, they escalated operations globally—conducting deep-strike raids on labs, comms arrays, and compromised intelligence centers.

• Their focus is the consolidation of experimental tech, classified data, and battlefield superiority through emergent doctrine.

• Their forces are now positioned in high-value operational zones under proxy cover, testing integrated systems and advanced warfighting capabilities.

34th Independent Shock Brigade

“We hunt in silence.”

• The 34th was deployed alongside Blackstone and Cossack Security during the first Merak operation.

• While officially denied by Russian command, their presence was tied to securing strategic assets and ensuring no critical Russian-born technologies fell into foreign hands.

• Their units operated independently, targeting core infrastructure and digital vaults—working quickly to extract data, then vanishing without formal contact.

• Now, the 34th is active in multiple grey-zone theaters, operating autonomously to cripple emerging threats and manipulate regional conflicts through force, cyber operations, and misdirection.

Cossack Security Forces

“No banner. No borders.”

• Contracted under shadow-state channels, Cossack teams entered Merak with a focused goal: secure critical tech before it could be erased or internationalized.

• Their operations resulted in localized clashes with Blackstone and indirect obstruction of 34th ISB units.

• Intelligence suggests Cossack contractors retrieved high-priority targets and re-deployed them to secure facilities in the Caucasus region.

• Since Merak, CSF has been involved in targeted strikes, logistics raids, and low-visibility intelligence recovery across multiple destabilized zones.

NATO Joint Expeditionary Force – Vanguard Europa

“Unity through fire.”

• In response to the collapse of regional governments and rising instability, NATO JEF forces were deployed to contain chaos and prevent escalatory warfare.

• Despite pressure from member states, JEF forces were not authorized to deploy to Merak.

• Instead, they focus on maintaining corridor security, defending infrastructure, and intercepting arms proliferation tied to rogue factions.

• Vanguard Europa now works to reinforce NATO-aligned regimes and assist with recovery of secure labs compromised during the fracture.

Albion Vanguard International

“By land, by sea, by strength.”

• AVI is actively leveraging the chaos following the Pandora collapse to secure corporate and national contracts.

• Operating in loosely regulated conflict zones, they serve as stabilizers, saboteurs, or shadow liaisons, depending on client needs.

• Intelligence suggests they possess partial access to Merak-aligned data, traded or recovered via third parties.

• - AVI avoids direct engagement in anomaly zones, preferring to operate through containment logistics, security consulting, and tech denial ops.

Sovereign Dawn Movement

• “Nations fall. Identity endures.”

• SDM’s leadership declared Merak the beginning of a new phase of global deconstruction.

• In the aftermath, SDM cells intensified their regional campaigns—disrupting reconstruction, intercepting military convoys, and broadcasting anti-state propaganda.

• Their presence in former NATO-aligned states has grown, often hidden behind local resistance groups or civil reconstruction efforts.

• SDM currently prioritizes sabotaging resource infrastructure, targeting foreign reconstruction teams, and fomenting rebellion through hybrid influence networks.

Sons of the Crescent Flame

“From ashes, fire rises.”

• The SCF condemned the Pandora experiments as a profane violation of divine law.

• They issued decrees targeting all factions known to be involved, including Blackstone and the states supporting it.

• In early 2028, SCF cells launched coordinated strikes on research logistics convoys and diplomatic outposts.

• They now prioritize cleansing operations, disrupting science facilities, and striking military targets tied to experimental research.

Crimson Vow Collective

“Order dies in silence.”

• The CVC sees the collapse of control post-Merak as proof that global systems are brittle and ready to fall.

• Their cells now conduct high-efficiency sabotage operations, blackouts, and target assassinations of technocratic and scientific elites.

• Active in war zones and urban centers, CVC operatives specialize in dismantling trust, order, and any attempt at containment or restoration.

• They are suspected to be using classified info obtained through corrupted insiders to track and eliminate artifact recovery teams.

13th Marine Expeditionary Strike Group

“By force and fire.”

• Although not present at Merak, the 13th MESG was deployed shortly afterward to secure nearby naval assets and enforce containment around high-risk maritime corridors.

• Their role has since expanded to include strike support, FOB recovery, and high-intensity interdiction across Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

• Currently attached to Task Force WARDEN, conducting forward stabilization and threat denial operations in support of NATO commands.

Czech Territorial Defense Front (ČTF)

• “No allegiance. No gratitude. Only the land.”

• ČTF condemned the Merak operation as foreign trespass on sovereign Eastern interests.

• Within weeks, ČTF forces began sabotaging border checkpoints and targeting NATO-linked convoys carrying recovered technology.

• They now conduct raids on suspected black sites, seize unmarked tech shipments, and intercept PMC operations within Czech territory.

• Acting as a wild card, they claim to defend “the soil,” but have no loyalty to any bloc or treaty.