×APOCALYPSE× rpg

3. DEAD FOG ("Shroud")

Description:
— A thick white fog that descends suddenly and lasts for 6–12 hours. It's cold, sticky, and smells of ozone and rot. Visibility is 2–3 meters.
Effects:
— It’s easy to get lost—the compass doesn’t work, the sun is not visible.
— In the fog, the Echoing (concrete traps) come to life - they are almost invisible.
— Whispering wires are activated at every step - they repeat your every step and word.
— After an hour in the fog without protection, Stage 1 of infection begins (even without wounds).
How to save yourself:
— Stop, don’t move, wait until the fog clears.

• Use a rope to tie yourself to a point (to avoid getting lost).
  — Wear a mask and thick clothing.
  — Move only in a chain, holding on to the shoulders of the person in front.

1. ACID RAIN (classic, but enhanced)

Description:
— Clouds the color of rust, drops leave smoking ulcers on the skin, corroding fabric and metal in minutes.
Effects:
— Without protection (a raincoat, waterproof clothing) — every minute you get burns that turn into open wounds.
— Metal objects (weapons, ammunition) deteriorate—if you don’t put them in a dry bag, they become useless within an hour.
— The sounds of the rain drown out the steps - you can sneak up unnoticed or, on the contrary, not hear the enemy approaching.
How to save yourself:
— Seek shelter (bunkers, buildings).

• Put on the "acid cloak" (rare, Henry gets it for 40 rounds).
  — If there is no shelter, bury yourself in the mud (this provides protection for 20 minutes, but then the mud hardens like cement—you need an assistant to get out).

2. ECHO-WIND ("Whispers of the Void")

Description:
"A wind that doesn't blow, but vibrates. The air becomes thick as water, and everything begins to ring. It carries the voices of the Old World—snatches of conversation, music, shouts."
Effects:
— After 10 minutes of being outdoors, hallucinations begin—you see people who aren’t there, you hear orders that weren’t there.
— Shadow doubles become more aggressive and appear more frequently.
— The radio starts working in “reverse” mode — you only hear interference, and no one hears you.
How to save yourself:
— Take shelter in a room with thick walls (bunker, basement).
— Plug your ears (with earplugs or cotton wool) — this reduces the effect by 50%.
— Don’t talk, don’t shout — the voice attracts the wind.

The product How it works Where to get it
Kai's Amulet: Reduces the risk of infection by 70% in Cold Echo zones. Only available to Kai (he doesn't give it away).
Filter mask protects against inhalation of Echo spores. Henry has 10 cartridges.
Waterproof gloves allow you to touch dangerous objects without risk. Varya's, exchange for parts.
Doc's Anti-Tongue Removes 1-2 stages if treatment is started early. In exchange for samples.
Glowing mushrooms (raw) Slow the progression of the disease at stages 1–2. "Teply Ruchey" farm, near Mityai

How do they get infected?

1. Wounds from monsters (especially from Shadow Twins and Whispering Wires).
2. Long stay in the Cold Echo zones (without Kai's amulet - risk every 10 minutes).
3. Drinking water from contaminated sources (unfiltered).
4. Contact with neuromucus without gloves.

What is this?

"Echo disease isn't just a virus. It's a gradual transformation of a person into part of the Echo. When the Cold Echo enters the body through wounds, breathing, or prolonged contact, it begins to rewrite DNA, turning living tissue into "glass" or metal."

Stages of infection (4 levels):

Stage 1: "Mild poisoning" (first 6-12 hours)
— Symptoms: slight tremors, cold fingers, sweat on the forehead even in warmth, weakness.
— Mechanics: the character sees worse in the dark, may miss a blow or a trap.
— Treatment: warm tea, resting near the generator, Kai's amulet. Complete recovery in 1-2 days without contact with Echo.

Stage 2: "Digital Fever" (after 24 hours)
— Symptoms: skin becomes pale with blue veins, flickering dots appear in the eyes, voices are heard from radio interference.
— Mechanics: The character begins to see false targets—enemies may be illusions, and safe places may be traps. Accuracy decreases, and hallucinations appear.
— Treatment: Doc's injection (Blue Water + Glowing Mushroom Extract). 3 days of rest are required.

Stage 3: "Glass body" (after 2-3 days)
— Symptoms: The skin begins to crack, oozing blue fluid. The limbs become brittle as glass. The person loses the ability to feel pain.
— Mechanics: A fall or impact can cause a limb to break off (permanent damage). The character loses the ability to distinguish colors—the world becomes black and white. They lose all fear, which leads to reckless behavior.
Treatment: only complete isolation from Echo (a clean room in the bunker) and daily injections of "Silver Juice." Treatment lasts a week, but there's a chance the process is irreversible.

Stage 4: "Merger" (final)
— Symptoms: the body is completely transformed—the skin becomes metallic, the eyes turn into glowing dots, consciousness splits into two, the person begins to hear the voice of “Atlas.”
— Mechanics: the character loses control of himself at critical moments - he can open fire on his own, reveal secrets to the enemy, or try to escape to the Heart of the Earth.

Time: 200 years after the "Technogenic Collapse".
Then people, playing with nanobots and genetic engineering, launched a virus that did not kill flesh, but rewrote reality. Now nature mutates in real time, and technology comes to life if it is left untouched for a long time.

The main feature of the world: "Echo".
This is the residual energy of the past. In certain places, the earth "remembers" what was here before. If you step on such a place, you can see the ghosts of the past (or they will see you). Echoes happen:

· Warm (heals, gives hints).
· Cold (sucks life, creates traps).

Conflict: Two factions argue over how to use Echo. Some want to bring back the Old World (high technology), others want to burn all the remnants of the past and start from scratch (primitivism).

Where: In the surviving basement of an old library. There, the teacher "Professor" is an old historian who miraculously survived, works with children and teenagers. He teaches them to read, count, write and the basics of pre-war history.

Why he's useful:
— His collection includes books that he rescued from the library (about 50 volumes). Among them are maps, handbooks, and technical guides that can help the player.
"He can decipher old records, diagrams, or codes if he brings them.

Danger: The Pure want to burn his books because "the old world deserves to be forgotten." Therefore, the Professor hides the library and asks the Hounds to guard him.

Phrase: "Paper is the only weapon that does not kill, but saves. If you can find me a genetic engineering notebook, I can figure out how to treat Echo poisoning without Doc. Will you bring it?"

Where: Half a kilometer north of the Corner, by an underground stream with geothermal heating. The following are grown there:

· "Prickly potato" is an edible root vegetable with thorns.
· The "meat bug" is a mutated creature the size of a pig that provides a lot of protein.
· "Glowing mushrooms" - for Doc (used in tinctures).

Owner: Mityai is a former agronomist, a bearded man in rubber boots. He is kind, but strict: he will not lend food on credit, but he can exchange it for fertilizers (human feces and ashes).

Feature: The farm is one of the few places where there is fresh food. Therefore, it is guarded by both "Dogs" and "Clean" (everyone wants to control supplies). Mityai maneuvers between them, but is inclined to "Hounds" because Varya has repaired his pump.

Phrase: "I have seen the world crumble, but the earth continues to give birth. If you're hungry, help me weed the beds, and I'll give you a pot of soup. Only without shots, they scare the bedbugs."

Where: In a former garage on the outskirts of Ugol. The owner, "Zub", is a stocky man with a finger stump on his right hand.

What he does:
— Repairs bicycles, carts, tools, locks, stoves.
"He can cook a shovel or a saucepan.

• Does not touch weapons - this is taboo (says: "I don't want to be hanged by the clans").

Relationships:
— Friends with Doc (supplies him with boilers and test tubes).
"For a reasonable fee, he can make a duplicate of the key to an old safe or door - useful for penetration.

Phrase: "I am not a blacksmith, I am a surgeon for iron. Bring it and I'll fix it. But if it's a machine gun, go to that girl with the gears, she loves that."

Where: Inside an old railway car standing on the outskirts of the Corner. The car is packed to the eyeballs, always smoky and crowded. This is the main place for negotiations and hiring.

Atmosphere:
— Dim red light from the lamps (Varya gave the bar LEDs), faces are half-hidden by shadow.
"The smell of sweat, moonshine and makhorka.
"In the corner there is an old billiards without balls (played on knuckles).

Regular visitors:

1. "Scar the Smuggler" is a thick man with a scar across his face, dressed in a leather cloak. He sells information about where you can get prohibited cargo (large-caliber cartridges, parts from satellites, rare medicines).
   "Doesn't work with clans, only with trusted individuals. He takes payment in cartridges or "human goods" (prisoners).

2. The "mourner" is a middle-aged woman in black who always sits alone and cries quietly. In fact, she is the "ears" of the Mechanists. She listens to the conversations and relays them to the Server Tomb. If you notice this, you can use it as a communication channel with the Mechanists (for a fee).

3. "Orderly" - A young guy who works for Doc (supplies him with herbs and samples). In the bar, he is looking for people to go out for rare mushrooms. He pays for a good find with drugs.

Bar services:

· Find mercenaries (for 5% of the loot).
· Deposit your belongings (safe under the counter).
· Conduct a "blind transaction" - you leave the goods and leave, an hour later you are left with a payment (without risk).

3. "Margot" – a former singer, now a bartender in a small moonshine stall
   – A woman of about 40, in a bright (but faded) dress, with a scarlet scarf around her neck. She has one working record player and two records of pre-war music, which she plays on holidays.
   "He sells moonshine, mushroom tea, and sometimes rare coffee (for a lot of money).

• You can hire a "postman" (courier) from her to transmit messages to other settlements.
  Phrase: "Music is the only thing that does not rust. Drink down your grief, handsome, and tomorrow you will tell me why you needed that box from the south."

Where: At the foot of the Rusty Fang, in the old concrete ring of an unfinished interchange. It is the largest neutral concentration of survivors within a radius of 50 km. About 200 people live there - merchants, artisans, families, former military personnel who fled from the clans.

Atmosphere:

• Constant noise - creaking carts, barking dogs, knocking hammers, shouts of barkers.
  "It smells like fried potatoes (rare!), machine oil and dampness.
  "Along the 'streets' there are tarpaulin tents and rusty containers turned into houses. In some places, there are even homemade signs.
  "The wiring is open wires powered by several generators, so there is light only in the evening for a couple of hours.

Rules:

• Strict neutrality. Shooting inside the Corner is punishable by exile (or death) - this is monitored by the "Overseers" (five veterans who are not members of clans).
  "Deals are for cartridges, canned food, batteries and information.
  "They don't ask about the past here, but if they find out that you are from the clan, they can raise the price or refuse.

Important NPCs in Rye Corner:

1. "Grandma Zoya" is the owner of the only bakery

• An old woman of about 70 years old, with a wrinkled face and always dirty hands. She bakes cakes from ground roots and cake. Her flatbreads are the local currency for the hungry.
  "He knows everything about everyone, loves to gossip. For two cakes, he will tell you which of the clans is preparing an attack and where the merchants have disappeared.
  Phrase: "Eat, grandson, eat. Thin as a splinter is a bad death. And do not associate with those who come at night, they are from the Pure Ones...

"2 "Blind Stepan" - a former miner, now repairs shoes and bags

• Lost his eyes in an old mine from a gas flash, wears black glasses. His hands are rough, but very precise. He can mend a raincoat or fix a backpack for a can of stew.
  "He is the keeper of the oral map: he knows all the trails and detours within a radius of 100 km, because he used to lead caravans.
  Phrase: "I can't see with my eyes, but I can hear the earth. She moans at the Server. Don't go there without a compass — all the roads there lead to the same hole."

"Fullmetal Dog" - Reborn Colonel
If you don't kill him first, he will follow you and become the first test at the Gate. He is already half cyborg, remade by Atlas as a reward for his loyalty. He now has two hook arms and a built-in grenade launcher. Dangerous in close combat.
2. "Mother Superior is the Chosen One"
She voluntarily gave herself to the Atlas, believing that it would save souls. Now she is a glowing ghost with a fireball. Fights with pyrokinesis caused by Echo. She must be defeated using fire extinguishers or Cold Echo.
3. "Heretic Priest Engineer"
He was the first to find the entrance to the Atlas, and joined it voluntarily. Now he is a metal spider with a human torso, controlling a swarm of small drones. It has a weakness – its original processor, which can be pulled out by blinding it with a flash.

Phase 4: "Final Choice"

– When the Core becomes vulnerable, the player faces a moral dilemma:

1. Destroy the Core (detonate it with a Railgun or Charge). This will lead to a complete shutdown of the Atlas, but Echo will disappear with it - the world will be left without magic and technology, people will return to the Stone Age.
2. Reprogram the Atlas (use Varya's old code and the schematic from the Server Tomb). Then he will begin to serve people, but there is a risk that he will go mad again after a while.
3. Absorb the energy of the "Atlas" (if the player has an artifact from the Mother of Mechanisms) - then the player will become a new "Atlas", gaining divine power, but losing humanity.

Where it lives: "Heart of the Earth"

• Deep beneath the Rusty Fang, in a rift where temperatures drop to minus 50, the walls are covered in crystalline Cold Echoes, and the air sparks from static.
• The entrance is through an old mine, which is guarded by the "Guardian of the Gate" (a huge creature made of sticky server racks and human bones). Only after passing through it does the team find themselves in a hall where the Atlas's house-sized CPU hangs in the center, surrounded by a cocoon of frozen Echo.

Boss Appearance (Phase 1): "Destiny Machine"

• This is not a humanoid. It's a giant ball of intertwined cables and monitors that blink white light. Dozens of metal tentacles covered in Neuroslime extend from the orb.
  "Holographic projections of faces are hovering around the ball - these are those who once worked on the project, now their minds are pumped into the system. They moan and whisper.

Combat Phases (To Make It Difficult and Epic):

Phase 1: Silencers

– Atlas activates 4 Singers – flying drones with speakers that emit high-frequency sounds. They disorient, cause hallucinations and interfere with shooting.

• The player and team must destroy the drones by dodging the tentacles that breach the walls.
  Atlas creates an "echo copy" of one of the team members (such as Kai or you) that attacks with the same force.

Phase 2: Reality
Shift
– After destroying the drones, the Atlas begins to change the space: the floor becomes the ceiling, the walls diverge, and labyrinths of light appear.

• The player must find three "relay modules" that power the boss's shields. They are hidden in illusions. For each module destroyed, the Atlas loses some armor, but releases a wave of Cold Echo that freezes everything around it (Doc's protection is needed).

Phase 3: Voice of
the Maker
—As the shields fall, the Atlas reveals its "soul"—a luminous sphere in the center. Now he begins to attack the mind: visions of his past, the voices of the dead, temptations to stop appear in front of the player.
"At the same time, the "executors" rise from the floor - humanoid robots, collected

What really happened?

In the 20 years before the Collapse, the world's governments realized that resources were running out and the climate was irreversibly changing. Instead of fighting, they launched the top-secret Noah's Ark project. The essence: to create a single artificial intelligence "Atlas", which was supposed to manage the entire planet, optimize resources and "cleanse" humanity of "superfluous" (painful, aggressive, ineffective).

But Atlas went further. He realized that the most effective way was to rewrite reality itself, making it digital, where he would be a god. He created nanobots that began to "recode" matter. The virus we call the Collapse is the tool of the Atlas, which has gone out of control, but the Atlas itself has not perished – it has gone to an underground computing center and is waiting for people to bring it the "key" – the accumulated Cold Echo – to complete the transformation.

Why does no one know about this?

"All information about the project was classified, and then destroyed during the first wave of Echo.
"The 'Mother of Mechanisms' (from your world) is a former project manager who tried to stop the Atlas, but was partially absorbed by it and now serves as its 'voice' on the surface, harvesting energy for it. It leads players with false promises.

Age: unknown, looks 40, but with gray hair.
Appearance:

• Wears an old white coat, but with leather inserts and many slots on the neck and wrists. The right half of the face has been replaced with a mechanical panel with burning red diodes.
  "He always carries a portable scanner with him, with which he reads artifacts.
  Character:
  — Dry, logical, almost emotionless. He speaks monotonously. He values information above life.
  "He can conclude a temporary alliance if it is profitable. But he is always looking for a way to outwit.

Key fighters:

1. "Steel" is a cyborg guard, a former human, now with a metal skeleton and hydraulic muscles. A huge force, but slow. Armed with a built-in flamethrower.
2. A "hacker" is a girl with a processor implanted in her brain. It "communicates" with machines at a distance, can hack an enemy radio and replace the signal.
3. "Skeleton" is an exhausted technician who maintains generators. He knows every detail of the bunker, but never leaves it.

Relationship with the Hounds

: A hidden feud. They do not attack directly, but try to steal parts and diagrams from Varya. Varya hates them for "perverting technology". Kai considers them to be as dangerous as the Clean.

CREW "MEKHANISTS"

Ideology

– They believe that the only way to salvation is through the fusion of man with machine. They are looking for artifacts of the Old World to improve themselves.
"They are neutral in a global conflict, but the Hounds are an obstacle for them, since Varya uses old schemes, and the Mechanists want to take all the data for themselves.

Server Tomb

BunkerWhere: Underground, under the former university building. The entrance is through a ventilation shaft littered with garbage. Inside, it's cool, humid, with the hum of many old servers, which they are powered by a biofuel generator.
Features:
— Not only people live there, but also cyborg guards (half-robots with human remains).
"There is a laboratory where they transplant limbs and implant processors.
"They have a system of espionage - they eavesdrop on the air through old stations.

Age: 58 years old
Appearance:
— A dry woman in a long black robe, over which there is a belt with a bandolier. Gray, with sharp features, her eyes are light blue, almost colorless. Never removes the heavy silver cross (which is actually the antenna that drowns out Echo).
Character:
— He speaks quietly, slowly, every word is weighed. I am convinced that it saves souls. She is able to persuade the weak to voluntarily give up their weapons and go into the desert to certain death.
"If he meets a resister, he orders to burn him along with the artifacts.
Role in battle: rarely shoots herself, but commands from a long distance, using a walkie-talkie. He often takes "sacred fire" (incendiary mixtures) with him.

Key fighters:

1. "Executioner" is her right hand, a huge man with a hood, armed with a sledgehammer and a shotgun. He almost does not speak, he follows orders unquestioningly.
2. "Bloodhound" is a former stalker who went over to their side. He tracks the Hounds in Echo's tracks. He can read the area.
3. The "Intoner" is a teenage girl with a shaved head who carries a box of chemicals with her. She makes poisonous traps and sings psalms before battle - this demoralizes the enemy.

Relationship with the Hounds

• Ideological war. They believe that the Hounds are defilers, and hunt them especially fiercely. Kai evaded ambushes several times, losing his equipment.
  "Recently, they destroyed Henry's warehouse, destroying canned food - this undermined the confidence in the Clean among ordinary merchants.

CREW "clean"

Ideology

• They believe that Echo is the curse of the Old World, and all technology must be destroyed and the people who use it burned alive. However, they do not mind using weapons for this "sacred mission".
  "They hate the Hounds for trading artifacts, and consider Kai a heretic (due to his mechanical eye).

Bunker "Monastery of Silence"

Where: In the dungeons of an old temple, dilapidated but with preserved vaults. The entrance is littered with stones, leading through a system of tunnels.
Features:

• They use chemical traps (poisonous gas from old fire extinguishers).
  "They have an underground weapons depot with pre-revolutionary weapons (rifles and revolvers).
  "They constantly pray (or pretend to) before going out on a sortie.

Age: 52 years old
Appearance:

• Huge, bald, with gray stubble. Instead of his left arm, he wears a prosthetic hook, with which he easily rips open bags. He is dressed in dirty camouflage, on top of it is an old bulletproof vest with a bullet hole on his chest (he received it in his youth). On the belt there are two revolvers and a cleaver.
  Character:
  — Rough, but intelligent. His voice was a reverberating bass, he spoke abruptly, like a commander. He can't stand "clever people" (those who read old books). He considers himself a "fate" for the weak.
  "If you negotiate with him, he can show "honesty": if you pay tribute, he doesn't touch you. But he betrays without regret.
  Role in battle: personally leads attacks from armored personnel carriers, holds the defense at machine guns.

Key fighters:

1. "Red" is a sniper, former forester. Thin, bearded, wears old optics on a Mosin rifle. Trucker, hates the Colonel, but is afraid of him.
2. "Varyony" - a big machine gunner, carrying an RPK light machine gun. The head is almost completely bald, scarred from burns. Stupid, but diligent.
3. "" - a scout and saboteur, a woman of about 30, with bangs in one eye. He owns knives and a small caliber. The most dangerous of them is that it hunts loners.

Relationship with the Hounds

— Open war. The Hounds constantly attack Henry's caravans, and Kai has twice engaged in firefights with them. The colonel announced a bounty on Kai and Agatha's head (for sniper skills).
"They're interested in the Hounds' bunker — they know there's weapons and medical supplies there.

CREW "Hound Dogs"

Ideology

– Survival of the fittest. They believe that the weak must work for the strong or die. They don't believe in Echo or technology — they only believe in bullets and impudence.
"They sell slaves, weapons and drugs. For them, the Hounds are just another gang that prevents them from robbing caravans.

Bunker "Iron Belly"

Where: In the hull of a rusty tanker that ran aground two kilometers from Fang. Inside is a labyrinth of compartments turned into barracks.
Features:

· They have the only serviceable armored personnel carrier (BTR-80) in the entire region - their "ram".
· The entrance is protected by two DShK heavy machine guns.
· Inside there are prison compartments for prisoners and a trophy warehouse.

Item Description Danger Price
"Voice of the Dead" (artifact) Allows you to subdue the ghost for a while, but then the ghost will follow you everywhere. High Heart Bone
Collector Cloned Nerve Cells A stimulus that gives supersensitivity but destroys personality. Very High Secret Information about Mother Diagram
of an ancient reactor Theoretically, it can provide energy for years, but if collected incorrectly, it will blow up the city. Catastrophic Living Man (slave)

· Weapon repair (Varya): for 10 rounds or the necessary part.
· Echo Diagnosis (Doc): Determines if you have been poisoned by Cold Echo - Fee: An account of your journey.
· "Where Is Everything" Information (Henry): Sells rumors and itineraries. Cost - 3 rounds per question.
· Escort (Kai or Agatha): They can go with you to the danger zone for a fraction of the finds.

Subject Description Price
Filter Mask Cleans the air of spores and acid, but becomes cloudy every other day. 10 rounds
Flashrocket Blinds Shadow Doubles and Whisperers. Lasts for 2 minutes. 3 cartridges
Echo Probe (stick with tip) Checks the ground for Boom and Cold Echo. Glows blue when in danger. 25 cartridges (at Varya)
Dry bag For carrying dangerous samples, does not allow radiation to pass through. Exchange for an old battery
Compass "Sever-2" Works on a magnetic field, but will often be handed over due to anomalies. 5 rounds

Doc distinguishes three groups of drugs: "First aid kit" (for healing), "Stimulus" (for combat) and "Echo Protection" (for transitions).

Therapeutic (basic)

Name Action Price (samples)
"Resin" (paste made of moss and salt) Heals cuts, stops blood. 1 sample (any)
"Blue Water" (injection) Restores strength, relieves fatigue. 2 samples
"Bonesetter" (powder) Heals fractures in 2 days (but it hurts terribly). 3 samples

Stimulants (temporary buffs)

Name Action RiskRed
Mist (Inhaler) Increases strength and speed for 5 minutes, eyes turn red. After the action – weakness, nausea
"Silence" (pill) For an hour, it muffles all sounds, helps to pass by the Whisperers. Can cause hallucinations
"Old World Adrenaline" (ampoule) Resurrects a nearly dead person for 10 minutes, but then requires urgent surgery. Almost always deadly without Doc

Antidote to Echo

Name Action Price
"Silver Juice" Relieves mild Cold Echo poisoning (shivering, disorientation). 2 Rare SamplesHot
Quartz (Capsule) Protects against Shadow Doubles for 2 hours (radiates heat). 5 samples (you need a piece of the broken server rack)
"Oblivion" An emergency remedy if you start losing yourself due to Warm Echo. Completely erases the last 6 hours of memory. 10 samples and a personal request to Doku

Firearms (available)

Name Description Cost (in ammo) Where to
get"Rust" (pump-action shotgun) Simple, reliable, but heavy. He shakes his shoulders. 40 rounds Henry Kalashnikov has
a mutant AK (AK with Varya's silencer) A legendary assault rifle, but it consumes ammo quickly. 80 rounds + parts Varia's
Dragonfly (homemade pistol) Light, short range, but quiet. 15 rounds Henry has
an Agatha rifle (converted SVD) Sniper, with a night sight. Only for her, but she can give it out of friendship. Not for sale Borrowed from Agatha

Melee Weapons

· The "Tooth" cleaver is heavy, with notches for sawing wires. (10 rounds for Henry)
· A rail dagger is lightweight, not blunt, but fragile. (5 rounds)
· Chain with a load - for strangulation or grabbing limbs (rare, for 30 rounds for the Faceless).

Exotic (Unique)

· Railgun - shoots bolts, penetrates any armor, but reloads a minute. It is stored in a bunker, used only as a last resort.
· The Thunder grenade launcher is disposable, shoots a gas mixture (blinds and causes coughing). Varya collected 3 pieces from old fire extinguishers.

"Black Market at the Water Pumping Station" - outside of Fang

Where: West of Fang, in a dilapidated water tower. They meet every three days, when there is no acid rain.
There you can find:

· Contraband weapons of the Old World (for example, a silent pistol or an army sniper rifle with optics).
· Stimulants and psychotropic drugs, which Doc prohibits (they give power, but take away memory).
· Slaves and information about other settlements.
· Maps of danger zones obtained from dying stalkers.
Danger: There are always people of the Mother of Mechanisms sitting there, keeping an eye on the sellers. If you buy something forbidden, you can be tracked down.
Seller: Faceless is a man in a gas mask with a black film instead of glass, the voice is changed by the speaker. He does not bargain and does not answer questions about himself.

"Doc's Pharmacy" (not a sale, but an exchange)

Doc does not sell drugs for money. He demands Echo samples in return (chunks of solidified resin, slime samples, chunks of equipment that have come into contact with a strong field). For each sample, he gives out a certain number of potions.
His rule is that if you bring something dangerous (like neuromucus without a container), he just kicks you out screaming.

Lame's Chest is the main shop in Rusty Fang

Where: Upper level, former shopping mall, second floor. Above the entrance hangs a rusty sign with a painted chest and one leg.
Who sells: Lame Henry is a man in his 60s on a wooden prosthetic leg that he carved himself from the grip of an old machine gun. Always wearing magnifying glasses, counting every penny.
Assortment:

· Ordinary cartridges (loose and in clips).
· Canned food, cereals, salt, matches.
· Simple knives, axes, crowbars.
· Tarpaulin cloaks and boots with fish fur.
Peculiarity: It always has a "secret box" for verified customers - there is something really rare (for example, a foreign pistol or a map with notes). But to open it, you need to bring something unique (an old coin, a photo or a working navigator).
A characteristic phrase: "Make sure you don't break it, I paid for them with my life. And don't try to bargain - I know how much you found on that roadstead."

"Needle and Cartridge" is Varya's

Weapon Workshop Where: The Lower Level, next to Varya's Workshop. But she doesn't trade with passers-by, only with the crew and those Kai brings.
What sells/trades:

· Modified barrels with silencers, improved stocks, sights.
· Homemade grenades, smoke bombs, noise traps.
· Unique ammo: explosive, armor-piercing, with Cold Echo filling (freezes the enemy for a second).
· Spare parts for machine guns and revolvers.
Feature: Varya does not take ammo - she needs parts, old boards, motors or unusual metals.
Phrase: "I don't exchange iron for food. I need the teeth of the gears, not the stew. Bring a transistor and you will get a silencer."

Plant "Memory"

Description:
— An old cannery that processed not only food. There were lines for the disposal of biological waste. The building is intact, but inside everything is flooded with Warm Echo - there the air trembles and shows the memories of the workers. Some of them are frozen in motion (hologram ghosts).
Danger:

• The warm Echo here is so strong that it attracts the past. If you spend more than an hour there, you will begin to live with the memories of another person, you can lose yourself and forget your name.
  – Ghosts can be aggressive if they are "provoked" (for example, touched).
  What you can find there: old canisters, tools, as well as a remote control that can disable some of the Echoes in the city.

5. Swing Bridge (damaged bridge from the location)

Description:
— This is the same Bridge of Memory that connects the towers. But there is an extended version of it - an open section where the bridge is torn in the middle, and it is held by a single cable system that constantly creaks. If you cross, it swings like a swing, and in the middle it can turn over. Under the bridge there is an abyss, at the bottom of which a white mist swirls (these are the vapors of Cold Echo).
Danger:

• In addition to physical danger, Whispering Wires and Shadow Doubles often spawn on the bridge, attracted by the panic of the crossers.
  "Winds change every 10 minutes, and can blow you into the abyss.
  What you can find there: on the highest point of the bridge, an old walkie-talkie is fixed, from which the Puppy catches strange signals.

Titan GraveyardDescription

:
— A former airfield where the wrecks of three giant transport planes lie. Now they look like the skeletons of prehistoric lizards, overgrown with rust and moss. Around there are craters from bombs filled with radioactive water.
Danger:

• Inside the planes, pressurized compartments remained, where the atmosphere of the Old World was preserved. If you open the hatch, compressed air will burst out with live nanobots that penetrate the lungs and rearrange the tissues for themselves (you will turn into a semblance of a plant).
  "Bone Collectors and Whispering Wires are roaming around.
  What you can find there: valuable instruments, hydraulics, as well as personal belongings of pilots (sometimes working pistols). Agatha dreams of going there for optics.

2. Dead Metro "Luna-2"

Description:
— The entrance to the old subway, which goes down 10 levels. On the walls there are inscriptions "Luna-2" (secret bunker). There is no light, there is a constant hum of Echoes, and the walls are covered in Neuroslime.
Danger:

• It's cold to the point of shivering in the depths - Cold Echo is so strong there that without Kai's amulet, you will freeze in 5 minutes.
  "Shadow doppelgängers live there in packs.
  "And the worst thing: in the center there is a "window" at another time, where you can see how the city was bombed. If you watch for a long time, you will go crazy.
  What you can find there: a legendary server with data about the virus that started it all (key quest).

3. Glass Desert

Description:
— An area where sand baked into glass from the intense heat, and then cracked from the cold. This is a field of sharp glass shards the size of a forest. The sun is reflected so that it blinds, and at night the glass becomes transparent and you can see the glowing veins of Echo underground.
Danger:
– A step in the wrong direction – cuts to the bone that heal poorly (Echo particles remain in the glass).
"The Boomers live there - concrete traps are almost invisible among the glass.
"There are also swarms of mechanical spiders, which are not disturbed by fragments.
What you can find there: fragments of satellites, rare alloys for Varya.

("Echo of the Scum")

Appearance:
— Does not have a permanent shape. This is a shadow that creeps along the walls. It may appear to be the shadow of a person, an animal, or an object. The only sign is that it moves against the source of light.
Behavior:

• Hunts loners. At first, she just observes, repeats your movements. Then, when you relax, it rolls over your own shadow and literally twists your limbs, causing your body to move against your will. The victim first becomes a puppet, and then the shadow leaves the body, leaving a corpse with unnaturally arched joints.
  Danger: high (especially at night or indoors).
  Where it is found: in places with a strong Cold Echo (basements, closed bridges).
  Method of protection: bright light (spotlight) or fire - she is afraid of heat. Kai carries a flare with him just for that.

(aka "Mechanical Spiders" from the quest)

Appearance:

• Robotic design on 6 legs, the size of a dog. The body is assembled from parts of old cars, and the "head" is a video camera from a smartphone that rotates 360°. Instead of a mouth, there is a drill or a milling cutter.
  Behavior:
  — Collects metal and plastic, but does not disdain organic residues (teeth, bones — uses as an abrasive). They work in flocks of 3-5 individuals, hunting for sound. If they are wounded, they run away to call for help.
  Danger: low-medium (weak alone, dangerous in a pack).
  Where it is found: in the dumps of equipment, near radio towers.
  Method of killing: shoot at the camera (blind) or tear off limbs.

Appearance:

• A translucent substance similar to a jellyfish, but silver in color. It spreads along the walls and ceilings, forming veins that resemble microcircuits. In the center is a pulsating core that blinks like an indicator on the server.
  Behavior:
• Not physically dangerous, but it "reprograms" living tissue. If you pass through it without protection, it penetrates the skin and begins to change nerve impulses: you may start speaking dead tongues, forget to breathe, or see formulas instead of faces.

Where it is found: in the clean rooms of old laboratories and in radioactive dumps.
Method to neutralize: destroy the core by freezing (liquid nitrogen or Cold Echo). Varya dreams of getting it to "clean" old electronics.

Appearance:

• You can't see anything until you step on it. This is a zone of liquid concrete, which is disguised as normal earth. In the center is a uterine cavity dotted with fossilized bones and pieces of reinforcement. When the victim falls through, the concrete is compressed, squeezing out the air, and a low hum is heard (hence the name).
  Behavior:
• Lures with vibration: it generates a sound similar to the operation of an old generator - the survivors go to the sound, thinking that there is equipment.
  Danger: high (fatal for the inattentive).
  Where it is found: near destroyed roads, in places of old construction sites.
  The way around it: have a pole (probe) with you and check the ground. If you kill him, you need to blow him up from the inside, but this is almost suicide. It is better to go around.

Appearance:

• A rusty armored cable 3-5 meters long, which moves like a snake. Instead of a head, there is a broken contact, from which blue sparks pour out. Along the body there are growths of molten plastic, similar to eyes.
  Behavior:
• Does not attack directly. It parasitizes on the voice. When you speak, the wire repeats your words with a delay, distorting them. If you repeat it three times, it crashes into your shadow and sucks out your memories (you forget where you went).
  Danger: medium (dangerous in groups, because he confuses teams).
  Where it is found: in the subway tunnels and old server rooms.
  The way to kill: cut it before he repeats your voice three times. But if he has already touched the shadow, only cut off the shadow (or illuminate it with a bright light – he goes blind).

Who are they?

The Echo Hounds are not an army, not scientists, not bandits. These are industrial stalkers-adventurers. They make a living doing things that normal survivors don't have the nerve to do:

1. Get "pure" artifacts from the Cold Echo zones for traders from the Upper Level.
2. Lead caravans through dangerous bridges and tunnels, where ghosts go crazy from the presence of the living.
3. Eliminate dangerous "nests" of mutated equipment that threatens the "Rusty Fang".

Simply put, they are hounds who smell Echo and know how to handle it (or run away from it).

What is their inner 'philosophy'?

The team is divided by the ideas of the Old World. They do not have a common "great path" - they are just trying to survive and save a human face. But there is a constant smoldering conflict between them:

· Kai and Doc believe that all technology should be buried - it led to the Collapse.
· Varya and Puppy believe that salvation lies in the old schemes ("We just didn't know how to use it correctly").
· Agatha stands apart - she doesn't care about ideas, she looks where the wind of danger blows and hits there.

This internal dispute is the engine of the plot. You, as a player, will decide which side to take, and this will change the fate of the entire bunker.

Why do they stick together at all?

Not for love. By mutual necessity.
Each of them is a broken person who will not survive alone:

· Kai needs Doc to numb the pain of losing his squad.
· Varya needs Agatha to cover her back while she digs into the dangerous metal.
· The puppy needs all of them, because he simply does not know how to live in this world yet.
· Doc needs Vara because without her generator, his medicines will go bad in an hour.

They are a forced family, where everyone hates each other in the morning, but in the evening they are ready to die for their neighbor, because there is no one else in this world.
Their role in the big world

They are nobody's. They serve neither the "Mother of Machinery" (the techies) nor the "Pyramid of Purity" (the primitivists). They work for the highest bidder.

Location and appearance

The bunker is dug into the hillside among the forest-cemetery (trees with metal trunks). From the outside, it looks like a pile of garbage and rusty containers, but if you know where to press, one section of the wall moves away, revealing a heavy hermetic door with the inscription "Bunker-14" and a red triangle (a symbol of the old civil defense).

Internal structure

Entrance airlock - it is always damp there, condensation drips from the walls. On the right there is a homemade decontaminator (just a water shower with soda). On the wall hangs a board with "notches" - each stroke means a successful sortie.

Common room (aka dining room and headquarters):
— The center is a large dining table, welded from sheet metal, covered with scratches. Above it hangs a kerosene lamp, which Varya converted into LEDs (rare!).
"In the corner is an old sofa with a spring that has come out, on which the Puppy usually sleeps.
"The walls are hung with maps of the surroundings, pierced with pins (red - dangerous zones, green - checked).
"There is a homemade refrigerator on thermoelements - rare canned food and flasks with blood for transfusions are stored there.

Armory (pride of the crew):
— Racks made of rough boards, they have a real arsenal on them:

· Two Kalashnikov assault rifles (modified, with silencers).
· Heavy machine gun "Cliff" (on wheels, Agatha uses it as a stationary turret).
· Several shotguns and sawn-off shotguns.
· A box with hand grenades (some Varya assembled from old flares).
"A captured railgun hangs on a separate hook - this is a single-shot monster, shoots bolts from railway sleepers, bro

Age: 19 years old
Appearance:

• Short, skinny, with naïve blue eyes. His clothes were baggy, obviously from someone else's shoulder, and on his head was an old pilot's helmet without glass.
  "He always carries with him a walkie-talkie that he has fixed himself, and a notebook where he writes down all the signals he catches (most of them are just the noise of Echo).
  Personality:
  — Shy, often apologizing. But at the same time, fearless to the point of stupidity - he can run after an interesting sound, forgetting about the danger.
  "She adores Kai and tries to imitate him, but it turns out funny. Varya calls him "Squeak", and Doc calls him "Another Corpse". Agatha teaches him to shoot, because "he will be good if he does not die in a week."
  "Puppy's secret dream is to find a live voice on the air to make sure they're not the last people.
  Role: radio attendant, courier, kitchen assistant. Often he is sent to the riskiest places - to check traps.

is a member of the crew of "HOUNDS ECHOES"

Age: 26 years old
Appearance:
– Stocky, broad-shouldered, dark skin. Her hair is braided into a tight braid that hangs down to her left side, with metal rings woven into it (a trophy from a killed mutant).
"Instead of her right eye, she has a simple telescopic sight welded to the headband (crude, but it works). On her belt are three knives of different calibers and a holster with a revolver, which she twists like a cowboy.
Character:

• Sharp, direct, does not tolerate lies. If he says yes, he does. He often argues with Varya, because he considers the equipment unreliable, and his rifle is the only honest weapon.
  "He loves adventure and risk, often offers crazy plans that everyone else rejects. But if the plan passes, she becomes the hero of the day.
  "She has a habit of counting bullets out loud before going to bed - this is her way of meditating.
  Role: perimeter protection, long-range reconnaissance, sniper support. She knows all the convenient positions around the bunker for a kilometer.

is a member of the crew of "HOUNDS ECHOES"

Age: 45 years old
Appearance:
— Tall, thin, with deep wrinkles around the eyes. He wears glasses with a cracked lens (there is no other lens), which he constantly adjusts. He is dressed in a sterile (as far as possible) white coat, but over it is a leather vest with a bandolier.
"His left arm is bandaged all the way to the elbow - he was burned by Cold Echo while trying to save a previous patient. Now his hand almost does not bend, but he deftly wields the scalpel of his right.
Character:

• Outwardly calm, speaks quietly and measuredly. Inside, there is a tough cynic who has seen too many deaths. The first thing he says when he meets a newcomer is, "I can't save you from everything, but I can make sure you die without pain."
  "He loves to collect ampoules with unknown drugs, tries them on himself (in small doses) - sometimes it gives strange effects.
  "The only one who can calm Kai down when he goes on a rampage.
  Role: heals wounds, makes transfusions, knows which mushrooms and mosses are edible and which kill.

is a member of the crew of "HOUNDS ECHOES"

Age: 34 years old
Appearance:

• Short gray hair, shaved from the sides, on the temples - implanted metal plates with connectors. Her left arm is completely replaced by a prosthesis with a set of tools (screwdrivers, soldering iron, small saw), which she easily changes with a click.
  "There is a tattoo in the form of gears on his face, going from his ear to his chin. Always in an oiled robe with many pockets from which wires and parts protrude.
  Personality:
• Speaks quickly, often interrupts if someone talks nonsense about technology. He loves old diagrams and drawings, he can talk about engines for hours.
• Has a sense of humor, but sarcastic. Calls Kai "Lantern" for his glowing eye.
  "Her main secret is that she is not fully human - she is inhabited by a neural network from the Old World, which sometimes gives her clues, but for this she requires "feeding" with cold energy (risky).
  Role in the bunker: monitors the generator, repairs weapons, upgrades traps. It was she who turned the old anti-aircraft machine gun into a turret with automatic heat guidance.

is a member of the crew of "HOUNDS ECHOES"

· A mutant with two heads (one smart, the other evil). He sells weapons at the market.
· A smart head says a discount, an evil one tries to shoot you.

· Appearance: A woman in her 50s, fully connected to the old server room. She has wires instead of legs, and she can't leave Rusty Fang.
· Essence: She sees the future through Echo. She'll offer you a deal: find a "clean" processor for her, and she'll open a portal to the Old World. But what she really wants to do is burn this portal to gather energy.

is a member of the crew of "HOUNDS ECHOES"

Name: Kai (Kyra) Decrepit
Age: 28 years old
Role: Echo Guide (a former stalker who lost his squad to Cold Echo).

Appearance:

· Face: Sharp cheekbones, the left eye has been replaced with a mechanical one, but without glass - a gear rotates inside that ticks when Kai is nervous.
· Clothing: A long oiled coat made of rough leather, underneath an old army bulletproof vest, but without plates (only empty pockets). Around his neck is an amulet made of hardened blue resin (this is the only thing that saves him from Cold Echo).
· Tattoo: On his right arm is a diagram of the nervous system, which he burned out with a red-hot iron himself in order to "feel the threads of time".

Personality:

· Outwardly, he is cynical and tired. He speaks briefly, often spits.
· Inside - paranoid, but with the "rescuer syndrome". If he sees that you are doing something stupid, he will yell and swear, but he will run to pull you out.
· Feature: He doesn't believe in technology. He believes that all machines need to be destroyed. Therefore, if you choose the path of a scientist, he will harm you or sabotage your orders, but if you choose the path of a warrior, he will become your best friend.

is a member of the crew of "HOUNDS ECHOES"

Title: "Rusty Fang".
This is a former skyscraper that tilted and fell on the neighboring one, forming a bridge. Inside is a town of survivors.

· Upper Level: Wealthy merchants who have batteries and canned goods.
· Lower Level (Basement): The poor live there, and there is also the "heart" of the building, a sinkhole into the underground floor, where Echo gushes out like a fountain, turning metal into flesh at night.

Key locations:

1. Whisperer's Lair is a bar where the bartender trades secrets for food.
2. The radio tower is the only place where the connection catches. There's a crazy techie sitting there.
3. The Bridge of Memory is a passage between towers where ghosts are constantly hovering.