Difference between revisions of "The land of a thousand acid lakes"

Revision as of 20:34, 9 August 2018

There was a country, squeezed in between Russia and Sweden. That country was told to be a small paradise. High education and free health care. However that country never stood a change in flame, nor left a remarkable points in history. That place was known as Finland, but who ever remembers any of those names anymore? Or those who remember, do they really care?

Mighty great parts of the north are now a cold, radioactive and hostile wasteland. Small isolated villages live here and there, protecting their safety jealousy. It is no wonder that some northern nomads have travelled far, and found the place known as Valkyria Outpost / Stråssa.

Some of those who hail from northern heritage, miss their country. However they have already forgotten the old language and their images about homeland are painted with gold in memories. Some northern travellers say that only what they saw was endless grey waste, with glow of a poison lakes and stench of decay.

Brief History

The meteor strike in 2044 struck Finland in a hard way. A lot of meteors struck the northern area causing massive devastation. Two meteors landed near the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant causing a major meltdown of both reactors.

When the Russian offensive started in 2045, Russia immediately occupied the formerly demilitarised Ahvenanmaa (Åland) as a strategic location. This provoked tactical nuclear strikes from Germany and France, effectively decimating the island and irradiating the Finnish archipelago. Turku (Åbo) was completely evacuated into fallout shelters.

The US nuclear missiles only hit northern Finland in an attempt to stop Russians from invading Norway, but the NATO tank divisions used southern Finland as a detour to reach St. Petersburg due to heavy fighting in the Baltic countries. The resulting ground combat reduced most of southern Finland into rubble and burning cities.

The Silent Forest

The Finnish military tried to protect the major population centers and the capital region. This became impossible and mostly all resistance forces and civilians had to go underground and disperse into the great forest. Tactical nukes used by artillery caused a local, but intense fallout which covered the eastern and southern Finland including Helsinki (Helsingfors) and the capital region.

Radiation killed all animal life including bacteria and fungus, thus effectively preserving all plants and creating the Great Forest of Silence. Under this silent forest the remaining population and resistance has delved until very recently.

After decades of isolation, some of these shelters opened their blast doors and started exploring the remains of local civilisation. They wiped out local mutant infestation and formed a paramilitary organisation that became known as the Silent Jäegers. For several years the Jaegers held control of the southern coast. They even encountered some of the clones from Outokumpu (Ok) and captured them.

Things were relatively stable, until the Jaegers looted the remains of Espoo (Esbo) Technical University in the hope of finding lost technology. The technical university had advanced research facilities in several fields and also a 6,4km deep hole for geothermic research. Damage to biochemical, biotechnological and leaks from the local test reactor had created a massive entity living in the geothermic well. This giant mutant beast with psychic powers was unleashed upon the Jaegar force and decimated them. Further expeditions to the site were cancelled. The only survivors from the encounter were mentally unstable and were mostly lost into the forests.

When the Red Peoples Army marched west, they steered clear of these these shelters and the oppressive psychic influence of the Helsinki region. However they were silently watched by the Jaegars in the Silent Forest.