Dead Zone
The places where the Cold War runs hot
The Dead Zone covers the territory between Berlin and Zielona Góra devastated by the atomic bombings that ended the Great War. It officially belongs to no nation, and its population has no international recognition. Steel and concrete walls surround its ruins, surviving communities, clandestine facilities, and contaminated areas.
Origins and isolation
Eighteen atomic bombs fell on Berlin and its surroundings during the conflict’s final phase. Postwar treaties divided other territories but left the Dead Zone outside recognized national sovereignty.
The FNC pressed for the survivors’ existence to be denied to avoid claims over the bombing. The IURR eventually joined that consensus and began using the region for research and atomic tests. United Nations and Union forces patrol the perimeter and restrict access.
Berlin and the changing territory
Berlin is the Dead Zone’s principal city. Completely destroyed sectors stand alongside half-ruined buildings and almost intact blocks overrun by vegetation. Trees and roots invade streets, courtyards, and abandoned stations.
Current contamination is uneven. Passable routes and buildings that can be explored for limited periods exist alongside hot spots where exposure is far more dangerous. Dust, water, food, materials, and accumulated doses determine survival.
The ecosystem includes mutated animals and insects, among them hairless dogs, cats the size of cheetahs, and flies that emit a greenish light. Anomalous weather phenomena are also recorded.
Inhabitants and experimentation
Small communities occupy buildings and blocks, searching for food and decontaminated water. Their inhabitants include bombing survivors, outcasts, exiles, and people emerging from experiments. Authority depends on each group’s strength and resources.
The Atomic Academy maintains research facilities in the region. The IURR uses prisoners for forced labor and brings people in to study the effects of radiation. The exceptional concentration of inhabitants with psychotronic abilities is one of its programs’ secrets.
The Berlin Guild
The Guild provides clandestine routes in and out and commissions expeditions to recover resources and information. Explorers known as the Living Dead work with radiation protection equipment, exposing themselves to mutants, anomalies, and patrols.
The organization transports mini-Cores, tungsten injections, and Vol’framin equipment to Blue Bloc clients. In the opposite direction, it smuggles EVERYMAN Capsules to Red Bloc clients. It occasionally accepts contracts to hunt natural mutants.