One of the most tragic events in history of civilization has created the Zone.
A surge in energy consumption during one of the experiments on April 26, 1986 was one of the main reasons Reactor 4 exploded. In response to the incident, the USSR evacuated Pripyat and settlements in the neighboring areas, until the Zone became almost totally deserted.
The Zone begins to attract attention. Rumours about strange phenomena within c.a. 10 km radius of the NPP abound, the city of Pripyat is often mentioned as a hot spot for sightings of unusual phenomena and strange creatures. The area around Chernobyl was relatively peaceful until sometime around 2001, when a bus full of tourists in the zone disappeared. The incident prompted the government to fully restrict the zone to civilians.
In 2005, unnatural forces within the Zone begin to have an influence over a wider area. Significant changes in weather patterns are noted, including hurricane winds and tremors.
In 2006, 4th March, blinding light illuminates the sky high above the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The incident lasted two full hours before subsiding, with witnesses reporting it disappeared as if power suddenly failed. Just over a month later, the skies are once again lit by intolerably bright light. The clouds evaporated from the sky, followed by a tremendous thunder crash, lasting far longer than normal. After the thunder faded away, there was an ominous silence, followed by a 6.9 Richter earthquake. The glow in the sky continued, spreading over the entire region, while deadly energy disturbances raged through the Zone, making any rescue effort impossible. Subsequent investigation turned up the fact, that the center of the explosion was a kilometer away from the nuclear plant itself, evidently the nuclear fuel dump going up.
On June 10, 2006 the very first emission occurred. Unprepared military and scientific personnel were instantly obliterated while the zone expanded a further 5 kilometers.
In 2007, the Ukrainian government sent out expeditions into the zone, most of them ending in failure after the explorers were killed by mutants.
In 2010, the "stalker phenomenon" was becoming more evident. It was theorized that the zone was home to around 300 individuals who called themselves "stalkers" who made money by selling artifacts.
In 2011, amount of illegaly residing people in zone starts to grow drastically. Military and Ukrainian government are no longer able to stop the growing phenomeon. At the beginning of the 2011 only circa 70 people have been arrested.
March 2011, your journey starts here...