Chernaya Strazha
Overview
Year Founded: 2014
Status: Inactive
Chernaya Strazha, or “The Black Guard” in English, were a Chernarussian group of survivors who were fiercely defensive of their country and devoted their lives to removing non-Chernarussians from the area. Whether they were “invaders” or “pig-dogs,” Chernaya Strazha became a dominant force in the quest to take back their land following the events of Day Zero.
Alignment
Although no formal alignment was expressed by Chernaya Strazha, from their strict rules about who should be able to live in Chernarus and providing lethal ends to almost all who stood in their way it can be surmised that they were a lawful evil group.
Appearance
Chernaya Strazha would usually have military-grade equipment and gear on them, but most famously wore the black Chedaki beret to distinguish themselves from other survivors. One thing they always noted was that they would never wear cowboy hats, as those were Western attire often worn by their enemies, the Phoenix Order.
Origins
Chernaya Strazha came about as a result of Chernarus needing defenders in light of hundreds of “western invaders” coming to the country, seeing cities like Chernogorsk along the coast as strategic to their goals. Communist in nature and modeling themselves off of the former Soviet Union, it was the desire of this group to bring “glory to Chernarus!”
Territory
Chernaya Strazha claimed all of Chernarus. As a result, they did not honor or accept any other claims that other factions like The Brotherhood or The Phoenix Order would make. This can be seen in some early maps of Chernarus post-Day Zero, where a large red or black star can be seen on the bottom of maps throughout the country. In reality, they spent most of their time between Elektrozavodsk, Chernogorsk, and Zelenogorsk when not fighting groups like The Phoenix Order.
Goals
The primary goal of Chernaya Strazha was to unite the country of its citizens and expunge or remove all foreigners from their country. Eventually, there would have been a desire to reform a Soviet-style Communist government led by Chernaya Strazha, but their primary focus was on eliminating foreigners and bringing natives into their fold. Secondary goals included re-educating locals and providing military training to said locals. Some of the education classes created included learning how to distill vodka and radio etiquette. Additionally, citizens were expected to have documentation of their citizenship/educational reformation when asked.
Values
Chernaya Strazha values were pretty cut and dry - support the motherland, support Chernaya Strazha, and show a strong defense of the country. They also valued Chernarussian vodka, firearms, and kicking fascists out of their country.
History
Chernaya Strazha was a menace of a group to other survivors in Chernarus. After their formation, their first major stronghold was in Chernogorsk, where they were able to fight in the streets and hold the city down for weeks despite constant challenges from others. Eventually, the group would bounce between Elektrozavodsk and Chernogorsk, fighting off good and evil factions alike. This caught the eye of groups The Chernarus Defense League (CDL) and the Phoenix Order who did not want a bandit-like presence in the south. Due to these rival groups consisting of foreigners almost in their entirety, Chernaya Strazha made enemies quickly and would launch attacks on groups like the Phoenix Order if they wandered too close. Region-wide alliances were made to fight off the marauding Chernaya Strazha, who eventually fled Chernogorsk to roam the countryside after weeks of fighting. Other cities they were found in included Zelenogorsk, Vybor, and Severograd. The group was also a part of an effort to escort a scientist which involved a scientist from a foreign country trying to smuggle research out of the country. Since their goal was to be on the offensive constantly, the group moved between military bases at times to gather equipment and continue their fighting of foreign survivors.
Things came to a head with the rise of the Cult of Papa, a radical group of survivors who made sacrifices to their overlord Papa. Seeing their cannibalistic ways as a threat to the survival of Chernarus, Chernaya Strazha eventually allied themselves with their sworn enemies during the Black Mass in an attempt to eliminate the Cult once and for all. Following the Black Mass, Chernaya Strazha continued to exert their influence on other groups and fight invaders such as The Brotherhood and the Chernarus Defense League. Despite having diplomatic talks with groups such as the Black Paw and being formidable in the field, Chernaya Strazha slowly lost influence in the country with dozens of new groups of survivors arriving each month. A smaller force led by Rasputin and including members like Ivan continued to occasionally be seen around the forests and cities of Chernarus, but the group never returned to their former glory.
Notable Members
Captain Yuri - among the more prominent early members of Chernaya Strazha when they fought for control of cities like Chernogorsk.
1st Sgt. Rasputin - conscription officer and de facto leader of Chernaya Strazha for much of its history. Led the group on many adventures around Chernarus
Major Natalya - one of few women within the leadership of Chernaya Strazha. She was better with her words most days due to the drunkenness of her comrades and did better diplomatically when speaking to other groups.
Relationships
Chernarussian Order of the Red Star - this was a group that had similar goals for Chernarus and at least in spirit Chernaya Strazha supported their efforts.
Black Paw - Their relationship started off fairly hostile but diplomatic efforts between both factions led to a mutual respect, even if Chernaya Strazha didn’t trust the faction much.
The Phoenix Order - with their defense of non-Chernarussians a pillar of their cause along with the promotion of Western ideals/fashion, the Phoenix Order was enemy #1 of Chernaya Strazha.
Chernarus Defense League - Much like the Phoenix Order, CDL were natural enemies of Chernaya Strazha because they defended military areas that “didn’t belong to them.”
The Cult of Papa - Chernaya Strazha saw the Cult as a threat to their goals, and although fairly ambivalent about them from the start, they ended up fighting the Cult in the Black Mass.