Trader Zones

The trader zones — those rarest of miracles; places in South Zagoria where no one is actively trying to kill you (usually…)

I have always found it fascinating that, even in the wake of total societal collapse, humans will still find a way to create markets. Everything is available here — from canned foods to heavy machine guns — provided you have enough Rubles (be absolutely certain they’re Chernarussian Rubles! You only make that mistake once…)

The compounds themselves vary:

• Klen Traders can be found high on Klen Mountain, among the ruins of Klen castle. I cannot help but admire the symbolism — civilisation clinging stubbornly to the bones of its own history. It should be quite picturesque at sunset, if you have the boots for it. I’m still working on that…

• Kumyrna Traders occupy the ruins of Kumyrna village, devastated during the civil war. I once asked the head trader there if he found the location ironic. He told me to buy something or leave. (I bought beans. They were very expensive beans.)

• Green Mountain Traders are located at the iconic military radio tower, a place rumoured to be haunted. Personally, I don’t believe in ghosts, but the last time I camped nearby, my radio turned itself on and started broadcasting static in the middle of the night. I no longer camp near Green Mountain for unrelated reasons…

• The Svetloyarsk Boat Trader is a different matter entirely — no walls, no protection, just a man with his boats, and a no-nonsense attitude. He has stories for days about his time in the Chernarussian Navy, and any attempt to out-drink him is as futile as trying to get a discount on one of his dinghies.

What unites all these places is an unspoken agreement: No fighting, no stealing, and no scaring off the clientele. Break any of these rules and the punishment will be swift, brutal, and — in my professional opinion — quite educational! I once witnessed a bandit try to steal a survivor’s newly purchased radio receiver. By the time the other survivors were done with him, the radio receiver was the only thing left unbroken.

If you are clever, patient, and loaded with Rubles, you can find nearly anything at these markets — weapons, tools, food, even new friends, though that is a VERY relative term around these parts… They are the beating heart of the Zone, the only reason our little pseudo-economy hasn’t collapsed entirely into cannibalism and rock-throwing contests.

So yes, visit the traders. Sell your wares, spend your Rubles, buy your (very expensive) beans. And should you find yourself leaning against the wall of a trader compound, sipping weak coffee while bartering for a few bullets, take a moment to appreciate this strange little pocket of civilisation. It may be the closest thing to peace you’ll find here.

— Dr. Yannick Pomochuk