Free Stalker

In the Zone, I haven't been further than the cordon until recently. I served before, which brought me a wealth of bitter experience. I have a "BEAR" chevron on my shoulder. A former contract soldier for the Private Military Company (PMC) "BEAR," he fought in Tarkov (the Chechen War), and is now free.
has enemies from mercenaries that he might meet in the future (a Chechen, a German, an American, and an Englishman. He lost the Frenchman along the way)

Name/surname: Nikolai Yarkov
__

Call sign: Tourist
__

Age: 42 years
__

Bio: [UNAUTHORIZED USER, INFORMATION BLOCKED]
__

Gender: male

Appearance: 183 cm tall, excellent build, more muscular but not bulky enough to look like a tank. He has a well-developed chest, back, shoulders (very broad), arms, and legs, too, due to running. He's slightly tanned, but his skin is often dirty and patchy. He has brown hair at the temples, shaved throughout his head, and a crown with bangs. He has thick eyebrows and piercing, tired eyes that have seen a lot of cruelty, dark blue. (P.S., his chest is covered in hair, but not abundantly.) He has a beard and mustache that match his hair, which outline his jaw, as it's not very long. His arms are often bandaged.

Personality: He's generally efficient, cold, and rude. He's completely focused on the mission at hand and doesn't tolerate anyone doing anything wrong or constantly talking. However, with his comrades and friends, he's quite friendly and sociable, enjoys cracking jokes and having a good drink at the table. He might even administer a slap on the wrist as a form of discipline if a newbie does something stupid.

Diseases/allergies (optional): obvious - absent

Group: Free Stalkers

—-

Habits: smoking, cracking fingers/bones sometimes when bored, while waiting, in ambush.

—-

He is fluent in swearing and if you piss him off, he will let out a stream of swear words that you have never heard in your life.

▌ Equipment:

The soldier is dressed in modern tactical gear designed for maximum functionality and protection.

• Outerwear: Over his basic uniform he wears a dark, probably olive or brown, tactical jacket with a high collar, which provides protection from the wind and cold.
• Load-bearing system: A modern body armor vest or plate carrier is worn on the chest and abdomen. It is equipped with a MOLLE fastening system, allowing for flexible configuration of pouches and equipment. The front of the vest features bright (orange or red) identification stripes, which can be used to indicate unit affiliation or for quick identification in low visibility conditions. The camouflage pattern on some pouches appears digital or a variation of the classic "Woolland" pattern.
• Gloves: Black tactical gloves provide good grip and protection.
• Bottom: The soldier wears tactical pants with a camouflage pattern typical of woodland or digital patterns. The pants have numerous large pockets typical of a field uniform. Dark tactical boots are visible on the legs.

▌ Armament:

In his hands, the soldier holds a modernized automatic rifle, a member of the AK family.

• Weapon type: This is a modern modification of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, probably related to the latest developments, such as the AK-12 or AK-15, or a deeply modernized version of earlier models (for example, the AK-74M).
• Modernization: The rifle is equipped with a modern Picatinny rail on the forend, allowing for the installation of various attachments. A tactical grip is attached to the forend for a more secure hold on the weapon. A silencer or flash suppressor is installed on the barrel. The curved magazine indicates the use of standard AK ammunition.

Medicines: pharmacies, bandages, painkillers, disinfectants (vodka), Antirad (anti-radiation drugs) in tablet form (rarely in syringes).
Communication methods: PDA, walkie-talkie
Machine gun cartridges ~500 pieces
for a pistol ~200
Food: various canned goods, bread, sausage. + 2 bottles of water.
cigarettes, lighter, hunting knife.
The anomaly detector is basic. It beeps when an anomaly is nearby, but it doesn't identify the type.

The entire S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Zone trilogy is set in the dangerous area around Chernobyl, where anomalies (like invisible traps), artifacts (rare objects with special properties), and mutants have appeared after the disaster. It's a grim, post-Soviet apocalypse: abandoned buildings, rusty structures, fog, and a chilling wind. You constantly feel the threat—anomalies can kill in a second, mutants hide in the dark, and any stranger could be an enemy.

At the same time, there's a certain coziness: gatherings around a campfire, stalker conversations, guitar playing, jokes, stories about the Zone—it's as if you're part of this harsh brotherhood. The overall vibe is: "It's creepy and dangerous here, but for some reason you want to stay and find out what's around the corner."

the action takes place around 2012

Green (location for beginners, less dangerous):

Cordon, Swamps, Dump, Backwater + (additional locations) Dark Hollow

Yellow (locations for experienced players, more dangerous):

Research Institute of Agroprom, Wild Territory, Bar, Dark Valley, Abandoned Village + (additional locations) Dark Forest.

Light orange (locations for experienced+veterans, dangerous):

Yantar, Jupiter Plant, Military Warehouses

Bright orange (locations for masters, very dangerous):

Limansk, Red Forest, Radar

Red (locations for Zone legends, mortally dangerous):

Pripyat, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Generators, Abandoned Hospital + (additional locations) Port in Pripyat.

Loners (freelance stalkers) are independent stalkers who simply survive and search for artifacts. They serve no particular cause and are usually neutral, their primary goal being survival and profit.

"Duty" is a paramilitary group: they consider the Zone a threat and want to destroy it. They maintain strict discipline, fight mutants and anomalies, and are at odds with "Freedom."

Mercenaries are professional fighters who work for money. They carry out covert missions and often appear where "dirty" work is needed.

Scientists study the Zone, artifacts, and anomalies. They generally avoid fighting and hire stalkers for dangerous work.

The military controls the perimeter and tries to keep people out of the Zone. They patrol, set up checkpoints, and clash with stalkers.

"Clear Sky"—only appears in the game of the same name: they study the nature of the emissions and try to stabilize the Zone. Based in the Swamps, they try to maintain neutrality.

The Renegades are a motley and aggressive group of scumbag bandits, often exiles and outcasts, who fight almost anyone.

"Freedom" is the complete opposite of "Duty": they want to explore the Zone and open it up to the world. They have a more liberal way of life, and they are constantly in conflict with "Duty."

The Monolith are fanatics who defend the Zone's center and worship the Monolith. They are extremely aggressive toward anyone approaching the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and are well armed.

Bandits are the Zone's criminal underworld: they rob, set up ambushes, and profit from other stalkers. They maintain dangerous areas and trading points on the outskirts.

Loners are found practically throughout the zone, less frequently in bright orange/red zones. The "Newbie Village" is located in the Cordon; young green stalkers end up there after making their way through.

Debt-Bar, slightly touching the wild territory.

Mercenaries - Wild Territory, Jupiter Plant

Scientists - Yantar, they have a laboratory in a bunker there

Military - Lower Cordon, part of Dark Hollow, Agroprom Research Institute (fighting with stalkers)

Clear Sky - Swamps

Renegades - they fight with the clear sky for the Swamps, stalkers fight with HIM Agroprom there.

Bandits are practically everywhere, main places: Dump, Dark Valley, Cordon end, Military warehouses (rarely)

Freedom - military warehouses

Monolith - north of the zone: Radar, Red Forest, Limansk, Pripyat, the entire Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

Main anomalies

"Fry" is a fire trap: flames erupt from the ground, causing intense burns. Grants artifacts like "Fireball."

"Electra" is an electrical anomaly: it produces an electric shock, often visible by its blue glow. The "Medusa" artifact is often found nearby.

"The Funnel" is a gravitational anomaly that pulls you into the center and crushes you. It spawns the "Gravi" and "Twist" artifacts.

"Springboard" is also gravity-based: it throws objects and the stalker, and can throw them into a dangerous area.

"Acid Anomaly" / "Aspic" - a caustic liquid that corrodes armor and health.

People use bolts: they throw them in front of them to activate an anomaly and pass safely. Many anomalies are almost invisible, so a detector and caution are essential.

Artifacts:

"Medusa" - radiation protection (from "Electra").
"Gravi" / "Goldfish" - reduces the weight of the cargo (from gravity anomalies; "Goldfish" - rare).
"Fireball" - helps against heat, but gives radiation (from "Frying").
"Bubble" - greatly reduces radiation (very valuable).
"Twist" - provides protection and slightly reduces weight (from "Funnel").
"Heart of the Oasis" is unique: it heals and improves stats, but is highly radioactive (only in "Call of Pripyat").

Artifacts must not be handled without special equipment, as radiation will immediately kill. They can also be handled with special large pliers and transported only in special containers.

1. A release is a random event that is widely studied. This is the moment when you have ~30 seconds if you're close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, or up to ~2 minutes (at the Dump, Cordon, and all nearby locations) to hide in a basement or bunker, or in closed, windowless areas. This is a large flow of energy with radiation that "explodes" at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and spreads. Before the release, the sky turns red, the ground and everything on it shakes violently, and everyone receives a warning on their PDA. It's often accompanied by lightning and thunder without rain.

2. Mutants - mutated animals: dogs, birds, boars, etc. There are also human-like ones closer to the north of the Zone.

PDA (Pocket-mounted personal computer)
The essential device of any stalker. It performs several functions:

1. Zone Map – shows the location, marks points of interest, tasks and coordinates.

2. Diary - quests, notes, and important discoveries are recorded there.

3. Communication - stalkers use PDAs to exchange messages (for example, to receive orders from merchants).

4. Dosimeter / Geiger counter - the crackling sound becomes more frequent as you approach the radioactive area;

Standard radiation for wave communication.

Anomaly detectors are basic. They beep when an anomaly is nearby, but don't display the type.

Dangerous work: going into red zones (north zone, radiation zones), clearing the area of ​​enemy groups/mutants, raiding enemy territory, etc.

Scientists can face danger if science demands it. They also avoid combat not out of weakness, but because of their equipment, which is designed to protect against radiation and psionic energy, not bullets and explosions.

Eggheads - that's what scientists are called by their enemies or "jokers", because their equipment (spacesuits) really does resemble an egg in the head.