Topol (Stalker)

Topol uses the Obokan assault rifle and carries ammunition for it with him.

Friendly, and thanks to his long career working among scientists and ecologists, he's developed a casual communication style that many stalkers consider him odd. Getting him to talk is difficult, but shutting him up is difficult. He's calm, cautious, but at the same time overly curious about the Zone and its secrets.

He's skilled in medicine and navigation, a good cartographer and guide. He's not particularly skilled in combat, but he's skilled with a machine gun. He prefers to resolve conflicts peacefully if they arise. He avoids bandits and scientists, fearing his identity will be exposed.

Initially, Topol was an ecologist and researcher sent to the Zone to study it. However, after living in a stuffy mobile laboratory and tedious work, he escaped, deciding to become a freelance stalker. Thanks to his knowledge of the Zone, biology, and a little medicine, he was able to adapt to life there. He has no interest in wealth or power; he prefers adventure and dangerous situations, as well as meeting and interacting with other stalkers.

Crafted by folk artists, the stalker suit is a combination of two-layer rubberized fabric with a plexiglass lining and a built-in bulletproof vest. Although the vest can be penetrated even by a pistol bullet, the suit is widely used due to its low cost and extensive upgrade options. It is equipped with built-in artifact storage containers. Topol wears this suit.

Topol is a man of average appearance. He stands 182 centimeters tall, has a toned, muscular build, and dark brown hair that's grown out slightly. He has a light stubble on his face, brown eyes, and a generally calm expression. He wears a Zarya jumpsuit and a PMG-2 gas mask.

Freelance stalkers (less commonly known as free stalkers, neutral stalkers, or simply stalkers, also loners, and sometimes neutrals) are stalkers who are not part of any group and who primarily operate alone or in small, irregular groups. They obviously make up the majority of the Zone.

Stalkers are drawn to the Zone by a variety of motives: enrichment, a thirst for adventure, a desire to explore the unknown, a desire to start life anew. Some neutrals may eventually join Duty or Freedom, but most loners dislike any kind of control and prefer to be their own masters, while maintaining neutral relations with all factions.

Mutants are the Zone's mutated animal kingdom. They are quite diverse and unequivocally dangerous. Stalkers know of only one species of animal that poses no threat: the crow.

The blind dog is the most common representative of the Zone's fauna. Packs of these dogs can be found everywhere except in utterly deadly places.

Flesh are pigs mutated beyond recognition, some of the most harmless mutants in the Zone.

Pseudo-dogs are mutants that inhabit almost the entire Zone. They were once wild wolves that inhabited the Zone's forests at the time of the disaster, and they became the progenitors of this mutant species.

Pseudogiant – A huge, teardrop-shaped monster, up to two meters tall. It uses its so-called "arm-legs" for movement and attack, always attacking head-on. It's tenacious. It attacks either by getting close or by slamming its hypertrophied limbs into the ground, creating a localized shockwave.

The Bloodsucker is a dangerous and aggressive mutant that has many enemies among other mutants. The most powerful of these are the Burer and the Pseudogiant. It is neutral to jerboas, chimeras, and poltergeists. It always attacks humans. The Bloodsucker is taller than a human, stooped, and hairless. Depending on the mutant species, the skin may be pale and covered in moss/mold in places, or completely black, but every Bloodsucker has stains of dried blood. Where the mouth should be, there are four tentacles arranged diagonally.

The Controller is one of the most dangerous mutants encountered in the Zone. The result of genetic experiments conducted by scientists as part of a program to develop telepathic abilities in humans. It possesses advanced telepathic abilities—damage to the victim's brain is almost always irreversible. It tries to move in a way that keeps the enemy in its sights at all times.

The jerboa is a small, rat-like creature that walks on two legs. They live primarily in basements and dungeons, rarely venturing to the surface.

The action takes place in the Zone, an alternate version of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone. After the accident, laboratories were established in the Exclusion Zone, allowing scientists to experiment with extrasensory abilities. Their experiments led to a second catastrophe, causing physical and meteorological phenomena throughout the Zone, as well as mutations in flora and fauna. The Zone is rife with anomalies—inexplicable phenomena that defy physics and, sometimes, conventional logic (pillars of fire, lightning bolts, vortexes that tear apart anything caught in them).

Anomalies generate "artifacts"—objects with special properties, such as antigravity or radioactivity absorption. People known as stalkers infiltrate the Zone in search of such objects for personal gain. Although many stalkers operate alone, the Zone is populated by various factions, each with its own philosophy and goals. The "Duty" faction, composed of former military personnel, believes the Zone represents the greatest threat to humanity and intends to destroy it by any means necessary. The "Freedom" faction, on the other hand, believes the Zone should be accessible to all and defends it at all costs.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces maintain a cordon around the Zone, attempting to prevent unauthorized entry. Additionally, Ukrainian special forces units regularly conduct special operations within the Zone, such as targeted strikes against stalkers or securing specific facilities. Among the hostile creatures within the Zone, the most dangerous are humans and mutants, many of whom possess aggressive psionic abilities.