DayZ Backstory: How the Infection Began

[Skat3rat 1633]

So I know Rocket has talked about making a back story for DayZ and how the infection began.  Well earlier I began to think about it and got this idea.  I wrote it out in a quick story down below.  I know a few parts are a bit cheasy or odd, so forgive me for that.  I tried to make the backstory based on some events that have happened this year.  Let me know what you guys think.

 

 

 

 

April 3rd, 2013, North Korea has begun threatening to nuke the United States.  While the odds of an actual strike are unlikely, the US takes the threats seriously and prepares their military incase it does happen.  Weeks go by with North Korea continuing to threaten the US.  People begin to laugh if off as Kim Jong un just trying to show off.  Two months later Kim Jong un has stopped the threats and now most of the world have moved on, confident that the threats were indeed, just the North Korean leader trying to appear fierce and strong.  

 

On the 5th of June however, North Korea fired a nuke at US forces stationed in South Korea.  Killing tens of thousands of troops and civilians.  The US and South Korea were outraged.  Immediately following the strike, the US launched several precision air strikes on key North Korean military locations, followed by a nuclear strike on North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang.  

 

Due to North Korea striking first, and to prevent a third world war, Russian and China do not get involved.

 

Within a few week most of North Korea’s military is destroyed.  The US and South Korea then send in ground forces to destroy the remaining North Korea military.  In just a month, North Korea is destroyed and now under the control of the US and South Korea.  What was North Korea is now given over to South Korea.  The country is simply renamed to, Korea.  

 

Iran and Syria are outraged by what has happened but decided not to retaliate.  Instead the two countries secretly begin working together to create biological weapons for a possible retaliation against the US.  

 

Then two months later, reports begin to spread of Syria using chemical weapons on their own people.  Within days the US is convinced that chemical weapons were used, and begin to threaten to attack Syria.  Russia warns the US not to attack or else they would face extreme consequences.  The US ignores the warnings and attacks Syria a week later.  Once again the US uses precision air strikes.  Syria quickly retaliates however by breaking international law, and using chemical weapons on US forces stationed in Turkey.  Following this event, Russia invades Korea and Turkey.  Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Israel, and Italy back the US, and join in on the war against Syria and Russia.  Iran and China quickly side with Russia and Syria.  It was no question at this point that the world was now entering a third world war.

 

The UN begins demanding that the use of chemical weapons by Syria be stopped.  Syria agrees to stop using the chemical weapon.  However, they do begin using biological weapons instead. NATO forces, wishing to avoid a nuclear war, decided against the use of nukes.  However limited use of biological weapons is agreed upon.  Russia, China, Syria, and Iran scientist begin secretly working on a biological weapon which they hope will give a devastating blow to NATO forces.

 

Despite the agreement of the limited use of biological weapons by NATO forces; Great Britain is convinced that any use of biological weapons would cause major catastrophe.  Great Britain begins advising to all nations that the use of biological weapons be stopped instantly.  France and Italy were the only countries to consider it.  The rest of the NATO forces agreed that the use of chemical was a must.  Months later, the entire world would wish they had done as Britain suggested.  At that time though, the idea is pushed aside and Russia mocks Great Britain by calling them, a small island and that no one pays attention to them.  Outraged by this comment, Great Britain launches a deadly attack on Russian forces stationed in Turkey and Syria, landing a devastating blow, and greatly helping NATO forces.  

 

Mean while, in places such as Egypt and Africa, rebel armies manage to get a hold of small quantities of biological weapons almost exactly the same as the one that was being developed by Russia, China, Syria, and Iran.  Without the understanding of how to use these weapons, many rebel units caused severe damage both to their own men, enemy soldiers, and civilians.  With the rest of the world focused on the third world war, the destruction caused by these rebel units went almost completely unnoticed.  All the biological weapons used in Africa and Egypt caused the first outbreak of what we now know as the infection.  Although very few were actually affected and it was in small rural towns and villages.  The Egyptian government kept the infection under control and unknown to the public.  Egypt was also the first country known to research this infection and there are rumors that they even produced thousands of quantities of antidotes.  However there is nothing to confirm this.  

 

As the weeks go by, the third world war only gets worse.  An estimated 15 million people are already dead, and around 30 million injured.  The extreme usage of biological weapons has had a profound effect on the world.  As one would expect, more people had been killed by the biological weapons, than by bullets and bombs.  

 

Eventually NATO forces had pushed China and Russia back and the war was no longer being fought in Turkey, Korea, and Syria, but now being fought in Syria, Russia, Iran, and China.  In mid October, Syria was destroyed.  Iran is destroyed a week later.  By the end of October, somewhere around 400 million people are dead, and 600 million injured.  The cost of the war has become to high and the UN drastically tries to negotiate peace to stop the war.  Only France and Japan were willing to stop the fighting.  That left the US, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel, and Italy left to fight Russia and China.

 

By early November, Russia and China have finished the development of what they called, “The Smert' cheloveka Bomb” which in English means, “The Death of Man Bomb.”  With the possibility of Russia and China being defeated, they use the bomb without even testing it.  The devastation and destruction it caused was worse than they imagined it would be.  The weapon immediately caused world wide catastrophe.  People around the world began to suffer.  Including Russia and China’s own people.

 

While exactly what happened to someone affected various, the general side effects were; Peeling of skin and flesh, weakening of bones, numbness in all of the body, extreme hunger and desire for meat, rage fits, and then becoming mostly brain dead.  When they became brain dead, they were still capable of walking and sometimes running, but that was the only human like thing they could do.  The only means of communication was growling, screaming, and grunting.  They constantly needed meat to survive and this caused people who were infected to attack those that weren't infected.  Over half the world’s population was affected by this.  The UN, Japan, France, and Egypt begin demanding that the war come to an end or else the entire destruction of man kind was definite.  Realizing the seriousness of the situation, all countries finally agreed to end the war and begin trying to stop this chaos.

 

Scientist quickly discovered something however.   There were people who were completely unaffected.  Scientist from all nations immediately began researching why some people were infected and why others weren't.  Within days, scientist from France discover that there is a special immune system that some people had and that others different.  Those who had this special immune system weren't infected and continued to live on normally.  A possible antidote was ordered to be made immediately.  Unfortunately a mass production of the antidote couldn't be made quick enough.  The infection spread to almost every continent on earth by one means or another.  

 

Australia, Iceland, Greenland, Madagascar, New Zealand, and many small islands were the only places that managed to keep the infection under control.  They were immediately dubbed as the safe havens.

 

Government officials, Kings and Queens, Dictators, and other people of importance began setting up new civilization in the safe havens.  In the early December of 2013, the UN began sending  majority of the uninfected from Europe and parts of the middle east to Iceland and Greenland.  While those in Africa were sent to Madagascar.  People from North and South America, Asia, and the most of the middle east were sent to Australia, New Zealand, and other small islands in the Pacific Ocean.

 

 There were a lot of people who made it.  Unfortunately there were many more who didn't make it.  The vast use of biological weapons had caused many climate changes and weather changes in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.  When some boats and planes were heading to the safe havens, they would get caught up in one of the freak storms and crash.  Many people found themselves in foreign places.  Those in a ship headed towards Australia or New Zealand often found themselves in Russia after a storm.

 

I personally survived a ship wreck and found myself in a place known as Chernarus. 

Edited October 26, 2013 by Skat3rat

[Frytek 130]

Story cool, gj, you had to work on it for a while.

Suggestion:more likely a biological weapon instead of chemical. Immunity can be for life forms like viruses. If it was chemical, all people at the area of that shit would be affected.

Third world war would be a fucking nuke fest IMO.

I feel strong affection of your person by U.S. Bad thingie its that one sided.

Otherwise than this and few cheesy moments as you said, I liked the story. It was original and interesting to read.

[Skat3rat 1633]

Story cool, gj, you had to work on it for a while.

Suggestion:more likely a biological weapon instead of chemical. Immunity can be for life forms like viruses. If it was chemical, all people at the area of that shit would be affected.

Third world war would be a fucking nuke fest IMO.

I feel strong affection of your person by U.S. Bad thingie its that one sided.

Otherwise than this and few cheesy moments as you said, I liked the story. It was original and interesting to read.

 

Thanks.  

 

Biological weapons probably would make a bit more sense but the reason I used chemical weapons was because I wanted to base the events that led to the apocalypse, on real world events that have happened recently.  Like North Korea's threats early this year and the most recent use of chemical weapons by Syria.

 

As I was writing I did notice it was heavily US focused.  That's mostly because I'm from the US myself so it's easier for me to write this with a more US focused approach.  If this actually was used for DayZ Stand alone, I'm sure it would be modified to fit a more global focus.

 

Who knows, maybe Rocket will see this and get inspired off of it.

[callsignBravo (DayZ) 323]

I really love fan made apoc. stories and this one is one of the best I've read yet. I do agree though biological weapons would make much more sense.

maybe another safezone could be the island of madagascar, it would be where any refugees who survived on africa would go.

[dancros 62]

 

Snip

 

I like the general ideal, one of the problems I see would be some of your time frames, i.e. North Korea's military being nearly gone in a week. The Korean Peoples Army has an active military of 1.2 million personel, which is almost the same as the US. Not to mention their 8.2 million strong reserve force. The US reserve forces are only in the area of around 850,000.

 

That and as mentioned above, Bio weapons make a lot more sense them chemical  :)

 

Nice read though  :beans:

Edited October 25, 2013 by dancros

[King of kong 1117]

I can't really say I like it myself. I prefer a "natural" virus. Rather than a Murica' VS Korea Epic Showdown type thing. I'd be much happier if it intwined with the ArmA 2 story.

[bibbish 49]

A war-torn world. Few safe havens. Ruined climate. Boat crashes. It's all pretty bleak. Sure it needs some work, but I think it fits well.

[Karmaterror 982]

If this were the backstory id love to see BI add a bio weapon strike somewhere in the  A3 campaign. You could be part of the team going in in hazmat to S&R. While your in the dusty streets the odd strange figure can be glimpsed running through the streets in the distance. Never more than a silhouette against the dust, moving in that arkward crouched run we all know so well. But your mission doesn't allow you to investigate it at all. Maybe nice lil hint to dayz. 

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

No.

 

The US, in return for helping Chernarus in their civil war(arma 2 campaign, play pls), were allowed free access to develop chemical weapons with the country. A few years after the war, a power outage depressurizes the research facility. One of the diseases: a airborne viral disease that mutates into blood borne upon infection, escapes from the facility and begins to infect the local population. Some people, whose blood types will not allow the virus to reproduce, survive and try to survive among the infected population and each other.

 

tl;dr

 

cap. cap'n

[Skat3rat 1633]

I like the general ideal, one of the problems I see would be some of your time frames, i.e. North Korea's military being nearly gone in a week. The Korean Peoples Army has an active military of 1.2 million personel, which is almost the same as the US. Not to mention their 8.2 million strong reserve force. The US reserve forces are only in the area of around 850,000.

 

That and as mentioned above, Bio weapons make a lot more sense them chemical  :)

 

Nice read though  :beans:

 

I didn't realize just how large NK's military was.  I've changed up the story to hopefully be a bit more realistic.

I can't really say I like it myself. I prefer a "natural" virus. Rather than a Murica' VS Korea Epic Showdown type thing. I'd be much happier if it intwined with the ArmA 2 story.

 

The America vs North Korea part was added to show the events that led up the actual third world war starting.

 

As far as the rest of the backstory, I didn't want to intertwine the DayZ backstory with Arma's for two reasons.  One, I know very little about the Arma 2 backstory, and two, I wanted to base the backstory on real world events in hopes that people could possibly relate to it.

 

If this were the backstory id love to see BI add a bio weapon strike somewhere in the  A3 campaign. You could be part of the team going in in hazmat to S&R. While your in the dusty streets the odd strange figure can be glimpsed running through the streets in the distance. Never more than a silhouette against the dust, moving in that arkward crouched run we all know so well. But your mission doesn't allow you to investigate it at all. Maybe nice lil hint to dayz. 

 

That would be neat to see.

[Skat3rat 1633]

Just a heads up to everyone, I've changed the story up a little bit.  I've tried to make it a bit more global focused and less US focused.  I've also added some additional detail and changed the weapons from chemical to biological like you all suggested.  I've made a few other changes as suggested by you all too.

 

You can either re-read my original post, or read the upgraded one down below.  Again, any comments or opinions you have on this are greatly appreciated.  Who knows, maybe Rocket will see this and use it in Stand Alone.  :rolleyes:

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

April 3rd, 2013, North Korea has begun threatening to nuke the United States.  While the odds of an actual strike are unlikely, the US takes the threats seriously and prepares their military incase it does happen.  Weeks go by with North Korea continuing to threaten the US.  People begin to laugh if off as Kim Jong un just trying to show off.  Two months later Kim Jong un has stopped the threats and now most of the world have moved on, confident that the threats were indeed, just the North Korean leader trying to appear fierce and strong.  

 

On the 5th of June however, North Korea fired a nuke at US forces stationed in South Korea.  Killing tens of thousands of troops and civilians.  The US and South Korea were outraged.  Immediately following the strike, the US launched several precision air strikes on key North Korean military locations, followed by a nuclear strike on North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang.  

 

Due to North Korea striking first, and to prevent a third world war, Russian and China do not get involved.

 

Within a few week most of North Korea’s military is destroyed.  The US and South Korea then send in ground forces to destroy the remaining North Korea military.  In just a month, North Korea is destroyed and now under the control of the US and South Korea.  What was North Korea is now given over to South Korea.  The country is simply renamed to, Korea.  

 

Iran and Syria are outraged by what has happened but decided not to retaliate.  Instead the two countries secretly begin working together to create biological weapons for a possible retaliation against the US.  

 

Then two months later, reports begin to spread of Syria using chemical weapons on their own people.  Within days the US is convinced that chemical weapons were used, and begin to threaten to attack Syria.  Russia warns the US not to attack or else they would face extreme consequences.  The US ignores the warnings and attacks Syria a week later.  Once again the US uses precision air strikes.  Syria quickly retaliates however by breaking international law, and using chemical weapons on US forces stationed in Turkey.  Following this event, Russia invades Korea and Turkey.  Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Israel, and Italy back the US, and join in on the war against Syria and Russia.  Iran and China quickly side with Russia and Syria.  It was no question at this point that the world was now entering a third world war.

 

The UN begins demanding that the use of chemical weapons by Syria be stopped.  Syria agrees to stop using the chemical weapon.  However, they do begin using biological weapons instead. NATO forces, wishing to avoid a nuclear war, decided against the use of nukes.  However limited use of biological weapons is agreed upon.  Russia, China, Syria, and Iran scientist begin secretly working on a biological weapon which they hope will give a devastating blow to NATO forces.

 

Despite the agreement of the limited use of biological weapons by NATO forces; Great Britain is convinced that any use of biological weapons would cause major catastrophe.  Great Britain begins advising to all nations that the use of biological weapons be stopped instantly.  France and Italy were the only countries to consider it.  The rest of the NATO forces agreed that the use of chemical was a must.  Months later, the entire world would wish they had done as Britain suggested.  At that time though, the idea is pushed aside and Russia mocks Great Britain by calling them, a small island and that no one pays attention to them.  Outraged by this comment, Great Britain launches a deadly attack on Russian forces stationed in Turkey and Syria, landing a devastating blow, and greatly helping NATO forces.  

 

Mean while, in places such as Egypt and Africa, rebel armies manage to get a hold of small quantities of biological weapons almost exactly the same as the one that was being developed by Russia, China, Syria, and Iran.  Without the understanding of how to use these weapons, many rebel units caused severe damage both to their own men, enemy soldiers, and civilians.  With the rest of the world focused on the third world war, the destruction caused by these rebel units went almost completely unnoticed.  All the biological weapons used in Africa and Egypt caused the first outbreak of what we now know as the infection.  Although very few were actually affected and it was in small rural towns and villages.  The Egyptian government kept the infection under control and unknown to the public.  Egypt was also the first country known to research this infection and there are rumors that they even produced thousands of quantities of antidotes.  However there is nothing to confirm this.  

 

As the weeks go by, the third world war only gets worse.  An estimated 15 million people are already dead, and around 30 million injured.  The extreme usage of biological weapons has had a profound effect on the world.  As one would expect, more people had been killed by the biological weapons, than by bullets and bombs.  

 

Eventually NATO forces had pushed China and Russia back and the war was no longer being fought in Turkey, Korea, and Syria, but now being fought in Syria, Russia, Iran, and China.  In mid October, Syria was destroyed.  Iran is destroyed a week later.  By the end of October, somewhere around 400 million people are dead, and 600 million injured.  The cost of the war has become to high and the UN drastically tries to negotiate peace to stop the war.  Only France and Japan were willing to stop the fighting.  That left the US, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel, and Italy left to fight Russia and China.

 

By early November, Russia and China have finished the development of what they called, “The Smert' cheloveka Bomb” which in English means, “The Death of Man Bomb.”  With the possibility of Russia and China being defeated, they use the bomb without even testing it.  The devastation and destruction it caused was worse than they imagined it would be.  The weapon immediately caused world wide catastrophe.  People around the world began to suffer.  Including Russia and China’s own people.

 

While exactly what happened to someone affected various, the general side effects were; Peeling of skin and flesh, weakening of bones, numbness in all of the body, extreme hunger and desire for meat, rage fits, and then becoming mostly brain dead.  When they became brain dead, they were still capable of walking and sometimes running, but that was the only human like thing they could do.  The only means of communication was growling, screaming, and grunting.  They constantly needed meat to survive and this caused people who were infected to attack those that weren't infected.  Over half the world’s population was affected by this.  The UN, Japan, France, and Egypt begin demanding that the war come to an end or else the entire destruction of man kind was definite.  Realizing the seriousness of the situation, all countries finally agreed to end the war and begin trying to stop this chaos.

 

Scientist quickly discovered something however.   There were people who were completely unaffected.  Scientist from all nations immediately began researching why some people were infected and why others weren't.  Within days, scientist from France discover that there is a special immune system that some people had and that others different.  Those who had this special immune system weren't infected and continued to live on normally.  A possible antidote was ordered to be made immediately.  Unfortunately a mass production of the antidote couldn't be made quick enough.  The infection spread to almost every continent on earth by one means or another.  

 

Australia, Iceland, Greenland, Madagascar, New Zealand, and many small islands were the only places that managed to keep the infection under control.  They were immediately dubbed as the safe havens.

 

Government officials, Kings and Queens, Dictators, and other people of importance began setting up new civilizations in the safe havens.  In the early December of 2013, the UN began sending  majority of the uninfected from Europe and parts of the middle east to Iceland and Greenland.  While those in Africa were sent to Madagascar.  People from North and South America, Asia, and the most of the middle east were sent to Australia, New Zealand, and other small islands in the Pacific Ocean.

 

 There were a lot of people who made it.  Unfortunately there were many more who didn't make it.  The vast use of biological weapons had caused many climate changes and weather changes in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.  When some boats and planes were heading to the safe havens, they would get caught up in one of the freak storms and crash.  Many people found themselves in foreign places.  Those in a ship headed towards Australia or New Zealand often found themselves in Russia after a storm.

 

I personally survived a ship wreck and found myself in a place known as Chernarus. 

Edited October 26, 2013 by Skat3rat

[The Law (DayZ) 6]

Good golly, that's some fine writing. I guess the idea of ANY story just doesn't appeal to me.

 

I think one key aspect in this games likability is the chance for players to forge a story of their own from scratch.

[Skat3rat 1633]

Good golly, that's some fine writing. I guess the idea of ANY story just doesn't appeal to me.

 

I think one key aspect in this games likability is the chance for players to forge a story of their own from scratch.

 

Thank you.  

 

I agree, one of the lovely things about DayZ is that it is YOUR story.

[Wolfensteinsaurus 2252]

Brilliant piece of writing, I could say that its official lore!.

 

The Sloth can write everyone! the Sloth can write!.

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

I don't know, I don't really like it being global. I mainly prefer my own because it's my own and it's sort of a cautionary tale against intervention and taking advantage of other nations. Like using humans as test subjects and creating a world wide catastrophe that ends nearly all civilization.

 

But hey, that's just me.

[Skat3rat 1633]

I don't know, I don't really like it being global. I mainly prefer my own because it's my own and it's sort of a cautionary tale against intervention and taking advantage of other nations. Like using humans as test subjects and creating a world wide catastrophe that ends nearly all civilization.

 

But hey, that's just me.

 

That's completely fine.  I'm not saying that my story has to be the official one.  I simply got the idea, wrote it up, and suggested it.

[Wolfensteinsaurus 2252]

Well, we all know its pretty obvious the infection started from one of my experiments on Fraggle, Hans spilt the canister, then it all went tits up.

Edited October 25, 2013 by Wolfensteinsaurus

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

That's completely fine.  I'm not saying that my story has to be the official one.  I simply got the idea, wrote it up, and suggested it.

 

It's good, and I appreciate that you put in work into it. I just prefer my own. naturally.

 

not like I'm stroking my ego or anything.

[King of kong 1117]

I dunno......I feel that there should be no "Official" story. I think that people should make their own conclusions about what caused it, where they're from, etc.

[Skat3rat 1633]

I dunno......I feel that there should be no "Official" story. I think that people should make their own conclusions about what caused it, where they're from, etc.

 

The reason I made this thread was because Rocket said he wanted to add items in Stand Alone that you could find that could give clues to how the outbreak started.  So I got the idea for the story and decided to suggest it.

[AP_Norris 1018]

Does NZ stay safe :(

Very nice story otherwise.

[C0okieH 156]

Great story, good read felt like a book.

[Skat3rat 1633]

Does NZ stay safe :(

Very nice story otherwise.

 

I meant to add New Zealand but forgot to.  I updated the story with New Zealand being one of the safe havens.

 

Great story, good read felt like a book.

 

Thanks!

[dulix11 731]

Eh, somehow I don't like the whole idea of it coming to this because of a war.

 

Maybe a freak accident at one of those labs where they keep the smallpox virus and all those other nasty things? Someone forgot to decontaminate themselves and then BOOM! There goes your happy day.

[AP_Norris 1018]

I meant to add New Zealand but forgot to.  I updated the story with New Zealand being one of the safe havens.

 

 

Thanks!

NZ always gets forgotten... :( damn you Australia!

Always they have Australia there on those cartoony maps, but never NZ >:(