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| <h2>Some Chronicler writings (from the book)</h2> | | <center>[[File:MYZ2024.png|border|800px]]</center> |
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| | Of course the world ends. It happens quickly, faster |
| | than anyone could predict. The Red Plague hits |
| | a world already on the brink of collapse. Extreme |
| | climate change, global economic crisis, increasing |
| | conflict between old and new superpowers. When |
| | the pandemic comes, the last thin veneer of stability |
| | crumbles. |
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| <h3>ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE</h3><p>“How did the world end? Some Stalkersand other braggarts say they know whathappened. That a great plague swept theworld and killed everyone. That the bossesof the Old Age fired their weapons of massdestruction at each other and drownedthe world in flames. That the gods amongthe stars, the Ancients’ overlords, hadenough of mankind’s hubris and decidedto end it all in fire and brimstone. Maybeit’s true, maybe it’s just lies and tall tales.The truth is, no one knows for sure. Exceptmaybe the Elder. And he refuses to talkabout it. We learned as children not toask, he would curse and rave at us everytime the subject came up. But I’ve heardhim mumble in his sleep. He said that theAncients ended themselves.</p>
| | One billion people die in the first year. Utter |
| | panic reigns supreme, solidarity between nations |
| | is non-existent. Wars break out over the last, dwindling |
| | resources of the world. For the first time since |
| | 1945 nuclear weapons are used in armed conflict. |
| | Mushroom clouds rise from east to west. |
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| <h3>ABOUT THE ELDER</h3><p>“Do you remember what it was like beforethe Elder got sick? He used to walkaround in the Ark and talk. Talk and helpus with anything we needed. During thedays, it was school time and he taught thePeople to read and count. At night, we’dsit around the fires and listen to storiesabout the Old Age. The Elder said hehadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but thathe had read books and seen moving imagesthat showed what a fantastic timeit must have been. When the Elder gotsick, all that stopped. Maybe it’s the Rotthat finally got to him. Maybe he’s justold. I don’t care which. I just want to sitin his lap again, to hear him talk aboutthe green fields, the blue lakes and thegreat cities full of people.”</p>
| | Everyone tries to save themselves. The rich and |
| | powerful start monumental projects to escape the |
| | surface of the dying Earth: going deep underground, |
| | to the bottom of the oceans, into the cold darkness of |
| | space. The seats in these final lifeboats for mankind |
| | are desperately few. For most of the world’s inhabitants, |
| | there is no way out. |
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| |
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| <h3>ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE PEOPLE</h3><p>“Did you ever think about where we comefrom? About the source of our mutantpowers? The People have lived in the Arkas long as we can remember, everyoneknows that. But before then? Are we bornhere, or have we come here from somewhereelse? The only one with answers isthe Elder. And he always refused to tellus. ‘Don’t look back,’ he’d say. ‘The pastholds nothing but death and destruction.Look ahead. Build a new and better world.’Now he’s on his deathbed, they say. Nowwe might never know. Unless the answer is in Eden.”</p>
| | Once it’s all over, Earth is still. Nature invades |
| | ruined cities. Winds sweep through empty streets |
| | turned into graveyards. Time gnaws the windows |
| | off skyscrapers, panes falling to the ground in a slow |
| | rain of glass. |
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| |
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| <h3>ABOUT THE BARREN PEOPLE</h3><p>“Our days are numbered. The People aredoomed to wither and die. We’re not likethe wild mutts or the Zone-Ghouls thatseem to multiply every day. Not like theAncients, who filled the world to the brimwith their offspring before the end. Wemutants cannot breed. We are barren. Nochildren are born in the Ark. You knowthat, you say, everyone knows that. Sure.But there is hope. We must go into theZone, seek contact with others. They saythere are other Peoples out there, that wecan join to grow stronger. What if we areonly barren to each other? What if thereare artifacts that can help us? Listen tome. If we just stay here in the Ark, we willperish. We have no choice. We must go into the Zone. We must search for others.”</p>
| | Yet life remains. Slivers of humanity survive |
| | the Apocalypse. In the Ark, a small settlement at |
| | the edge of a dead city, the People live. You are the |
| | spawn of humanity, but not quite human. You are |
| | twisted funhouse images, mutated freaks. Your bodies |
| | and minds have incredible powers, but you are |
| | unstable. Fragile. None of the People are over 30 |
| | years old. |
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| |
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| <h3>ABOUT MEN & WOMEN</h3><p>“No children are born in the Ark. So what?I think that’s a good thing. During the OldAge, men were in charge and women hadto take care of the children, did you knowthat? Not any more. Now I call the shots.”</p>
| | Except the Elder. Your leader, but not like you. |
| | One of the Ancients. For decades he has warned |
| | you: be on your guard, don’t leave the Ark. Stay here, |
| | or the Rot will get you. Or something even worse. |
| | So far, you have obeyed his commands. Lived off |
| | rations from the Old Age. Chased off every stranger |
| | who came close to the Ark. Few dared to go out into |
| | the Zone. That is what the Elder calls the outside |
| | world. |
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| |
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| <h3>ABOUT THE GRUB</h3><p>“The Elder always took care of us. Protectedus, comforted us, gave us grub.There was a stockpile of canned grub, andhe knew how to grow more right out of theground. Now the stockpile is almost gone,and nothing is growing. Grub is scarceand what little there is, is controlled andrationed by the Bosses. Soon there won’tbe any grub left. Then we’ll starve – unlesswe learn how to grow grub or kill beastsand eat them, like the Ancients did.”</p>
| | But the safe days are over. Food is running |
| | scarce, and the fight for what’s left is turning violent. |
| | You starve. Factions are forming, bosses on top |
| | and slaves at the bottom. In the middle, fixers who |
| | try to turn a profit from anyone and everyone. And |
| | the Elder can’t stand up on his own anymore. They |
| | say he can’t even take a piss without help. You’re on |
| | your own now. |
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| <h3>ABOUT BURNING THE DEAD</h3><p>“Why do we burn the dead? Why not justthrow the corpses into the Zone or burythem in the ground like they did duringthe Old Age? Because we have alwaysdone so. It’s the People’s way, like theElder taught us when we were children.When our bodies burn we rise to the skywith the smoke, back to the other worldfrom whence we came. So said the Elder.Do I believe it? I don’t know. It doesn’tmatter. We have to do something withall the corpses. We can’t have them lyingstinking in the Ark.”</p>
| | It’s time to venture out. To explore the Zone, to |
| | search for artifacts and knowledge. Build, grow the |
| | land, seek out others, create a new civilization on the |
| | ruins of the old one. Seek your origin. No children |
| | are born to the People – if you do nothing, you will |
| | perish. Maybe, one day, you will find the Eden of |
| | legend, the Ancients’ haven from the encroaching |
| | hellscape. That’s where salvation and truth await, |
| | the stories say. |
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| |
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| <h3>ABOUT ZONE-GHOULS</h3><p>“There are many dangers out in the Zone,but trust me, the Zone-Ghouls are theworst. They are wretched creatures of theRot, spawned by the Zone itself. They areskinny and short like children, but don’t befooled – they hunger for mutant flesh anddon’t have an ounce of humanity left inthem! Thankfully, there are ways to avoidthem. First of all, only move through theZone during daytime. The Zone-Ghoulscan’t stand the sunlight, not even throughthe smog – that’s why they all dress inhoods and wrap up their heads and handswith cloth. Some say the Zone-Ghoulsaren’t even living beings at all, that theyare evil spirits from the Old Age. But Iknow better. I know they can bleed, I knowthey can die. My advice – bring a scraprifle and never let them get close. If yousee one Zone-Ghoul, you can be sure thereare at least two more nearby.”</p>
| | Maybe it’s all fairytales. It doesn’t matter. You |
| | have no choice. This is the beginning. |
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| <h3>ABOUT OTHER ARKS</h3><p>“Some nights, when the smog lifts, you cansee faint lights at the horizon. Have youseen them? Some say they are just a mirageor some Zone phenomenon best leftalone, but I don’t think so. I’m sure thereis something over there. Something important.I once walked as far as I could inthat direction, before the grub ran out orthe Rot got me. I didn’t make it all the way,but pretty far. Do you know what I saw?Other mutants, just like us. Believe it ifyou want, but I’m sure there is anotherArk out there. We are not alone.”</p>
| | '''This is Year Zero.''' |
| | | ---- |
| <h3>ABOUT THE ROT</h3><p>“So, you want me to take you into theZone? You think you have what it takes?You have no idea what it’s like out there.No idea. Let me tell you about the Rot,and we’ll see if you still want to go afterthat. The good kind of Rot is the kindyou can see. Green sludge floating on astill pond. If you get it on your body, itwill seep into your wounds, your mouthand eyes. It will slowly break you down.The bad kind of Rot is invisible. You won’tknow it’s there until your bones and musclesache. If you go too close to the hotspot,your hair will fall off. You puke blood. Ifyou don’t get away quickly, you’re donefor. How do I survive in the Zone, you ask?I know where to go, and where not to go.I know what water to drink, what food toeat. And I know how to endure pain. TheRot hurts more than you could imagine.Are you still sure you want to go?”</p>
| | Our Chroniclers have assembled more [[Lore]]... |
| | |
| <h3>ABOUT THE ENCLAVES</h3><p>“When the world ended, not all peopledied. We are proof of that. They say somepeople fled the Apocalypse. They dugdeep underground, dove to the bottom ofthe ocean or left the Earth to build floatingcities in the sky. These sanctuarieswere called enclaves. But the Apocalypsedidn’t let people get away that easily.They say a great war broke out betweenthe enclaves, that the last people triedtheir hardest to annihilate each other.Mighty weapon-strikes crushed undergroundenclaves and felled others fromthe sky in a rain of fire. How the warended? Who knows? Maybe it’s still going on?”</p>
| |
Of course the world ends. It happens quickly, faster
than anyone could predict. The Red Plague hits
a world already on the brink of collapse. Extreme
climate change, global economic crisis, increasing
conflict between old and new superpowers. When
the pandemic comes, the last thin veneer of stability
crumbles.
One billion people die in the first year. Utter
panic reigns supreme, solidarity between nations
is non-existent. Wars break out over the last, dwindling
resources of the world. For the first time since
1945 nuclear weapons are used in armed conflict.
Mushroom clouds rise from east to west.
Everyone tries to save themselves. The rich and
powerful start monumental projects to escape the
surface of the dying Earth: going deep underground,
to the bottom of the oceans, into the cold darkness of
space. The seats in these final lifeboats for mankind
are desperately few. For most of the world’s inhabitants,
there is no way out.
Once it’s all over, Earth is still. Nature invades
ruined cities. Winds sweep through empty streets
turned into graveyards. Time gnaws the windows
off skyscrapers, panes falling to the ground in a slow
rain of glass.
Yet life remains. Slivers of humanity survive
the Apocalypse. In the Ark, a small settlement at
the edge of a dead city, the People live. You are the
spawn of humanity, but not quite human. You are
twisted funhouse images, mutated freaks. Your bodies
and minds have incredible powers, but you are
unstable. Fragile. None of the People are over 30
years old.
Except the Elder. Your leader, but not like you.
One of the Ancients. For decades he has warned
you: be on your guard, don’t leave the Ark. Stay here,
or the Rot will get you. Or something even worse.
So far, you have obeyed his commands. Lived off
rations from the Old Age. Chased off every stranger
who came close to the Ark. Few dared to go out into
the Zone. That is what the Elder calls the outside
world.
But the safe days are over. Food is running
scarce, and the fight for what’s left is turning violent.
You starve. Factions are forming, bosses on top
and slaves at the bottom. In the middle, fixers who
try to turn a profit from anyone and everyone. And
the Elder can’t stand up on his own anymore. They
say he can’t even take a piss without help. You’re on
your own now.
It’s time to venture out. To explore the Zone, to
search for artifacts and knowledge. Build, grow the
land, seek out others, create a new civilization on the
ruins of the old one. Seek your origin. No children
are born to the People – if you do nothing, you will
perish. Maybe, one day, you will find the Eden of
legend, the Ancients’ haven from the encroaching
hellscape. That’s where salvation and truth await,
the stories say.
Maybe it’s all fairytales. It doesn’t matter. You
have no choice. This is the beginning.
This is Year Zero.
Our Chroniclers have assembled more Lore...
