[Intel] Lost Military Journal (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Eisenkrieg) news

The following is what was recovered from an extremely worn journal, along with a damaged rifle, some soiled blankets and discarded cigarettes. Found by [REDACTED], reporting to the Agroprom Research Institute under the command of [REDACTED]. Reviewed by [REDACTED], a trained linguist.

Journal found by military patrols, translated by one of the few linguists from German to English back at one of the military field camps. Reconstructive drawings have been included by analysts to depict the setting and events in the presented accounts.

**Some readers may be uncomfortable with some of the content and themes presented in this article. Reader discretion is advised.

"Unteroffizier Henrich here. Karl Heinrich. Acting head of our squad as our Oberstleutnant is still yet to show up. Our rations are extremely low. A few of the men have been reporting headaches. One of them had experienced seizures and hallucinations. Interesting, but still unfortunate nonetheless. He stopped responding after we tried our best to nurse him back to good health. I only hope that the cold had put him to rest quickly. An easy way out sounds a lot more appealing than a slow death, even for a hardened soldier...

In times like these, I'd feel as if some sort of supernatural, unforeseen blockade had been lifted from myself and my men... we've now got some good news for a change. We came across a tent and a burning campfire, a couple of boxes and a strange rucksack that was very worn in appearance. I held onto the rucksack. No one around but us and our cold feet. Stahl pointed his Luger inside the tent while Albert kept watch. No response from inside the tent. Just a body with what looked to be a gas mask and an odd outfit. Definitely nothing I've ever seen or heard of. Perhaps our superiors were deploying these troops without our knowledge? If so, where are their markings? Nothing too useful on the body. He did have a familiar rifle, a Karabiner 98k. This one was fitted with a scope. A good find.

The campfire was still burning. Our Oberstleutnant still hasn't showed up. I checked my watch. It's been thirteen hours since my last update. We found the tent and the body a while ago. Debating on moving forward or standing our ground. There's now only eight of us left; myself, Albert, Klaus, Axel, Stahl, Hans, Elias and Vic. Our friend, Vic (his real name's "Victor"), is the joker of the group. He wishes we could all have a drink by the fire, but my mind has other priorities. We need to establish communications with at least one of our other squads as we don't know where we are or what we're dealing with here. I'm going to have a lie down for a bit and catch up on some rest.

Major update. Hans claims to have spotted some figures walking in the distance. We're surrounded by a dense forest with a wide clearing. That's where we found this strange camp in the first place. Fire's died down a bit. I'm thinking of just grabbing my rifle and trying my luck on my own, but I can't leave these men without a leader. Most of them are just fusiliers. Hans looks very spooked. Most of us don't believe what he says, but I know better.

The night is dark. Howling in the distance with some gunfire. We've ditched the camp and are now hoping for the best. Hans told us about the strange figures again. We called a vote and decided to keep moving. Had our Oberstleutnant been here, he'd have us off our asses in an instant. I'm certain he'd have us shot if we're discovered to have abandoned him or any of our men, but what else can we do? Our men are dropping like flies. We have no contact with any of our other squads. For all we know, we could be deep behind enemy lines. Our maps do not point to any recognisable areas, those clearly not being the location we've situated ourselves in now.

Another major update. I'm glad I kept this journal. Mother insisted that I keep this, but I initially refused. No time for writing. Training is strenuous, orders are strict. Rations are limited, especially as the enemy had allegedly cut off a few of our major supply points. What else is there to lose? Sleep.

Hans woke me up. Victor was sitting next to a tree, rocking back and forth. His eyes were wide and glassy. His face was rid of emotion. He was saying something. Hans and I tried to comfort him, but Victor only kept saying "get it away from me, get it away from me". His words were almost silent. He had somehow removed and lost his coat. Curse our superiors for not issuing us with proper winter gear.

Albert and Klaus had managed to shoot a rabbit. They seemed relieved to have something to cook, but I knew better than to eat something that I didn't like the look of. We're bled dry as it is without eating the local wildlife. The rabbit looked unhealthy, but severe hunger can cause symptoms such as delusion. They cooked and ate it. Axel had managed to find some wood for another fire. We finally got through to Victor. He was still shaking, as if he had aged another twenty years. He started smoking again. He told me he hadn't smoked since before he got recruited. He told us about a figure that he saw in the night. It was large, but it's features were shrouded by the collective nature of the brush and the night sky. He was curious about what he found. The figure was bent over something, about the size of a human, but nowhere near the size of the figure.

Victor carried on with his story, detailing it as if it was a nightmare that he had during his childhood. He grew less hysterical until he spoke of the horrifying gurgling sound of the figure. Eerie stuff. He then went on about him backing away towards a tree, refusing to break eye contact with the figure, and staring at it in hopes that it would go away. He didn't know whether or not it had seen him, but he knew better than to let his guard down. Enough stories for now. Axel needs me for something.

Victor and Klaus have gone missing. We did a head count. Our hope for survival has dwindled. Klaus' rifle was found, but no other signs of them.

Another update. We found Klaus next to another clearing. He was on his knees, staring into the darkness of this endless forest. His face was blank. He looked like he was praying. We were relieved to find him, but there were still no signs of Victor. Klaus didn't talk much, unlike before. He didn't know where Victor was. He said they got separated from the group, then he went to check on Victor. In doing so, he then found himself on his own. No sign of Victor or any of us. Klaus didn't seem to hold his rifle very steady, neither. Perhaps he had taken a fall somewhere?

Nightfall is upon us again. We had a couple of blankets to spare. The rest were soiled. This cold is harsh. Too harsh. Must get through the night. Find Victor and let the squad know. Everyone else is sleeping. We travel in the morning.

Axel and Albert managed to find another rabbit. It was already dead, but it helped. I even took a bite of what we shared around. It wasn't much, but it kept us going for just a bit. We saved some for later. Writing this now that it's light again, some of the fog has cleared. Hans and Axel looked tired. Stahl had threatened to shoot himself at one point, but I talked him out of it. We're better than that. We need to stick together if we're going to make it out of this.

We walked for a few hours and decided to settle down again for the night. Our empty stomachs were a constant reminder that we were in over our heads. We couldn't find anyone else. No other contact for days. Axel told me a story about how he used to work in his father's shop back home before he joined up. He said he used to work on shoes, belts and all sorts of other clothing. My father was a lawyer before he died. Come to think of it, that story only made me feel worse. We're struggling to keep warm at night and stay motivated enough to push on during the day. It's time we did something else rather than aimlessly walking through this forest. No contact, no hope... not even any Pervitin left to keep us going.

I saw something odd just now. Klaus was strangely up earlier than everyone else and asleep after everyone else, or so I've come to think so. He still hasn't spoken much. He makes a lot of eye contact. I caught him staring at me a few times. I don't know what his deal is. Anyway, he gets up and gets on his knees again. I'm still awake, pretending to sleep. He grabbed the leftovers of that rabbit that we had packed up a while back and wolfed them down. Made me sick to my stomach, but I couldn't help but watch. He let out an odd groaning sound, sort of deep and raspy like he had smoked for most of his life. He gazed over at the other members of our group, one of his hands reaching out as if to grab something. Stahl, Axel... Elias and Hans, and Albert... then myself. He was pointing at us as if he was counting us. I don't think he knew that I was awake, though he did stare at me for a long time. It scared me. He was a young man, but his face was a face of horror. I don't know what he was doing, but he then slowly walked off into the night. I don't like this one bit.

It's now the following morning. Very sad news. Stahl shot himself. Hans couldn't take the news and stormed off, but returned an hour or so later. We were two men down. I asked Klaus what happened the previous night, but he said he didn't remember it. Axel recalls having strange dreams. He said something about being chased through the forest in his dream, but I quickly put an end to that discussion. We've been walking for some time. There's light in the distance. Strange, but we'll take a look at it.

It's now the following morning. Very sad news. Stahl shot himself with his Luger. We were all shocked by this. Hans was deeply saddened by this and took some time to himself, but came back after a while. I spoke with Klaus about what happened last night, but he doesn't recall waking up last night. He said he doesn't feel hungry like the rest of us, so I know something's not right. Axel spoke about strange dreams, but it's not helping the morale of the group at all. We're already in too deep as it is, so I got him to cut it out.

It's morning again. I've got some sad news. Stahl is dead. Gunshot wound on the left side of his head. Hans is troubled by this, like the rest of us. He said he felt sick and stormed off, but he came back after a while. I thought we'd lose him, too. Thankfully, we didn't. I spoke to Klaus about the weird stuff I saw last night and what he was doing, but he said he didn't remember anything of the previous night. I don't believe him. I was suspicious, but kept my mouth shut. Axel let me know about something that was bothering him. Strange dreams, but I quickly put an end to that conversation. We don't need any more horrid stuff on our minds.

I feel dazed. Bewildered. Unable to think. I had a headache. Hans said I passed out or something of that sort, I woke up sometime during the day. Not sure what time it is. Just noticed that my watch has stopped. Great. Just what I need. Axel's gone now. Hans told me that Axel just lost it and... packed his things and left. We didn't have much, we're starving at this point. We were okay on water for a short while, but we can't keep boiling the ice and snow. Elias had insisted that he goes out to look for him. He said he'd head towards the sunset and come right back to us, but I objected to that. I outrank these men. It is my duty to keep them in line until a superior comes along, not like we'd find anyone else in this place. The attitude that they have!

Elias is not back yet. Albert suddenly attacked me, Hans tried to help me but Albert hit him and sunk his teeth into his arm, then his neck. I had to do it. I pulled my Walther on Albert and shot him. He went down immediately. Hans was unresponsive after he was first bitten by Albert. Albert broke down into what could've been a seizure, but I had to finish the job. After a shot in his gut, I had to put another in his head. It was the only way. I went to check on Hans. It seems like he bled out before I put Albert down. Where's everyone else in all of this? No help, we're fighting amongst ourselves!

Another update. Maybe my last. I don't know what else to do anymore. Hans is dead. The others still haven't turned up. I saw Klaus coming back to me through the trees. I wish he hadn't returned. Something's not right about him. I knew it, and he must've known, too. I was prepared to draw for my pistol again. My rifle wouldn't fare too well if I had to put him down quickly. I screamed out for Klaus to tell me where the others were. He didn't answer. I screamed again, asking him what the hell he was up to. He just stared at me. He then reached out his arm. The inside of my head had erupted into a hellish pain. Like the headaches from before, but a lot worse. I almost collapsed to my knees, but gained the strength to bring out my pistol and fire at Klaus. I wanted him dead. This wasn't Klaus. It was something else. I was sure of it. I fired again. Then again, and again. My pistol clicked, then I threw it to the ground. Klaus was still standing there. I looked back at him, but he didn't look anything like Klaus. No uniform. Barely any clothing, the shape of his head looked awful. He was a few feet away from me, but he'd probably tower over me if not be slightly taller. He stared at me the entire time. He then spoke in a deep, raspy voice. "Leave this place. Run. Leave this place", he kept saying. I ran. It was no use. I must've ran for hours, trying to get away from that thing. I'm on my own now. I can see something on the horizon. A small town, perhaps? I'm going to play it safe. I have my rifle. I remembered having this strange rucksack. It's no bigger than a dinner plate. I've got some dogs on my trail. Need to head to the small town, or village, and see what's up. It looks fenced off, but I have no other options. I can hear gunfire. Here goes nothing..."

Analysts are still looking to work out how the accounts in the journal were produced and are in the process of testing the legitimacy of the claims made within the accounts above. Further updates on these accounts are due to be released, though an official date is yet to be given.

For those who are not in the know, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Eisenkrieg is set to build upon the existing lore of the original three S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, adding a variety of new weapons into the mix that tread the fine line between being fun to use as well as being realistic. For any newcomers, allow me to help you catch up on what S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Eisenkrieg has in store with this quick and snappy announcement trailer below and quick access to my announcement article here.

Other more technical updates are due to come in the future, allowing me to touch on this mod's gameplay, stability improvements and other additional info once I am able to acquire more useful intel. Any potential allies are more than welcome to stay connected with me as we embark on our journey to drive out the enemy! Until then... stay safe, soldiers!

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Much love, Jacob_MP.