Covenant

Symbol of the Covenant

I WILL EAT YOUR SIN.

GOD WILL FORGIVE ME.

I WILL EAT YOUR SIN AND TAKE YOUR PENANCE.

GOD WILL FORGIVE ME.

WHY DIDN’T YOU GO TO CHURCH WITH ME MISHA?

I WILL EAT YOUR SIN AND YOU WILL BE WITH GOD NOW.

Overview

Year Founded: 2019

Status: Unknown

The Covenant are a mysterious group of violent religious fanatics. While they are most well known for terrorizing the streets of Chernogorsk, they have been known to appear at random across the country. The Covenant are often referred to as "the Bagheads" due to their peculiar choice of headwear. Little is known about the inner workings of the group, who are either unable or unwilling to speak to the few people that encounter them and live to tell the tale. Surrounded Bagheads do not even speak when presented with threats of death, that are often they're followed through.

The majority of information available to the people of South Zagoria about the Covenant comes from a mixture of speculation, survivor accounts, and found footage, in addition to some limited amounts of communication through gestures and the written word.

Due to their apparent anonymity, many would-be bandits and groups have attempted to impersonate the Covenant, generally in an effort to hide their true identities or to redirect blame onto others. The "imposters" have encountered the real Covenant on the streets of Chernogorsk in the past, leading to many violent confrontations.

Alignment

Members of the Covenant are incredibly unpredictable. They are most well known for attacking without warning or conversation, particularly in Chernogorsk (and especially near the "Well of Sorrow" and the eastern Church). The motivation for their attacks are mostly unknown, although, survivors abducted by the Covenant have claimed that group forcibly converted them to some form of religion, demanding that they consume human flesh to complete the ritual.

Despite their violent appearances, members of the Covenant have been found hidden in densely populated and well guarded areas, seemingly observing people for extensive periods of time for reasons unknown. At times, the group has had limited communication with various groups and settlements. Notable examples of this include the Dugout, Olixtown, and the Vigil, see The Covenant#Relationships.

Most would describe the group as some form of Chaotic Evil due to their unpredictability and homicidal tendencies, but others have suggested that they are instead Lawful Evil, and that whatever principles they adhere to are simply unknown to the rest of South Zagoria.

Appearance

Earning the nickname of "the Bagheads" for their choice of headwear, the Covenant are exclusively seen wearing burlap sack masks. The general condition of their clothing tends to be very poor. Physically, most members are visibly malnourished and smell like raw sewerage. They tend to fight with poorly maintained weapons and seem to lack the ability to procure military equipment, except for those that they scavenge from their victims, most often covered in the blood of their former owners. Bagheads often laugh uncontrollably, seeming to be afflicted with Kuru due to long-term cannibalism. On several occasions, this has been the only way a lurking Baghead has been discovered.

A Baghead stands by the altar of what is theorized to be a holy site for the Covenant

Origins

Very little is known about the Covenant's origins. Some have theorized that the city of Chernogorsk was their home prior to the apocalypse. The group's heightened violence in the city has been pointed to as evidence, with some theorizing that they are defending, rather than hunting. Survivors of Covenant abductions have reported being taken to a small church on the far eastern side of the city, where they witnessed Bagheads bowing at the altar in silent prayer. It has been suggested that this is some sort of holy site for the group, further lending to theories about their origin.

Images of a Russian Orthodox cross frequently appear in Covenant footage, and cryptic messages written by the group frequently reference biblical verses. Many survivors of Covenant abductions describe the group partaking in religious rituals. It is believed that the group is united by some sort of fanatical religious belief.

Mysterious figure, appearing spliced between frames of several disturbing video cassette tapes found in houses within Chernogorsk. The same person appears throughout Covenant media.

Territory

The primary home of the Covenant is the city of Chernogorsk.

The Well of Sorrow

Located in inner Chernogorsk, the Well of Sorrow is a well (located close to the Orthodox Church) which has been a frequent site of Covenant attacks and abductions. Survivors have reported finding human body parts arranged around the well in strange patterns, often in the shape of an Orthodox cross. Despite the apparent danger, survivors wandering the streets of downtown Chernogorsk still regularly drink from the well, some noting that the water has a strange metallic taste.

Church of the Covenant

Church of the Covenant, appearing in found footage.

The Eastern Orthodox Church on the outskirts of Chernogorsk has been dubbed by some as "the Church of the Covenant" due to its association with the mysterious fanatics. It is unknown which name (if any) the Bagheads use for this place. Several survivors have been abducted here and sacrificed or tortured in the name of some unknown ritual. It has been the site of several hostage situations, most notably members of Torchwood and the Vigil have found themselves at the Covenant's care, only to be rescued before their sacrificed could be complete.

While the Covenant can usually be described as violent, in the close vicinity of this Church they become increasingly relentless. One car containing volunteers of the Black Cross and one of their citizens was ambushed here, the noise seemingly disturbing some sort of Covenant gathering.

Goals and Values

The full extent of what drives the Covenant isn't known, however, it is clear from their actions that at the very least:

• they view outsiders with hatred and view them as "sinners",
• the Covenant most frequently attacks groups located close to or inside of Orthodox Churches, and
• they aim to clear the world of these sinners, either through conversion or murder.

Unlike most people of South Zagora, the Covenant appear to be tolerant of cannibalism. The distinctive cannibal laugh has often given away the location of a Baghead lurking in the darkness.

History

Emergence

The Covenant initially appeared some time in 2019, primarily within the vicinity of the eastern Church. Some survivors of the apocalypse report

While the bag heads initial presence was contained within the city of Cherno there are reports from survivors of the time that felt, upon leaving the city, that they felt an eerie sense of being watched on their travels. In the following weeks, bagheads were sighted outside of Cherno proper, with the majority of their sightings being around the countrysides many Eastern Orthodox churches

Relationships

Olix - The mayor of Olixtown is one of the few people that the Covenant can be described as being "friendly" to. They repeatedly visited the aging man, often bringing gifts, attempting to convince him to wear a burlap mask. On several occasions Olix was seen entertaining the Covenant's advances, and he is one of the few people in Chernogrosk that the violent fanatics do not seem to target. The full nature of Olix's relationship with the Covenant is not fully understood.

Cult of Papa - When captured Bagheads have been questioned about any possible connection to the Cult, they have immediately become violently enraged, and at times, even vomited immediately on the spot in what is assumed to be disgust.

Dark as Midnight - On several occasions, Covenant scouts have been found in Gorka, observing the resident cannibals before eventually making themselves known, or being discovered. On some of these occasions, the two groups have traded weaponry and ammunition, with the Bagheads communicating through gestures and by writing on pieces of paper. In other instances, Bagheads have attempted to attack DAMN after being discovered.

The Dugout - On several occasions, the Covenant have appeared at the Dugout. One Covenant scout brought the Dugout to the Church of the Covenant [1], restrained one of their members, and executed them in front of both Lewis and Audi. Encounters between the two have generally been violent ever since.

The Vigil - The Covenant has long been one of the many constant threats facing the people of Bor.

In DUG Media

Related DUG Media

Title	URL(s)	Synopsis
The Meek Shall Inherit	YouTube	Compilation of various Covenant interactions, 2021 DayZ Underground Award Winner (Media)
Semper Vigilis	YouTube	A Baghead's perspective as he stalks members of the Vigil in Bor before being discovered (and recognized) by Tony of the Vigil
Survivor Account #591	Part 1 (/r/DayzUnderground), Part 2 (/r/DayzUnderground), Part 3 (/r/DayzUnderground)	A mysterious out-of-character story, hinting at the Covenant's pre-apocalypse origins
Survivor Account #102	/r/DayzUnderground	An out-of-character journal, hinting at the Covenant's pre-apocalypse origins and motives
Open Wide, O Earth	YouTube	Found footage documenting a group of Bagheads slaughtering people on the streets of Chernogorsk
Close the door	YouTube	A member of WHO? discovers a Baghead hidden in a shed in K-Mart
Bagheads and Primitive Society	/r/DayzUnderground	A survivor documents an encounter with a Baghead
Video cassette #1	YouTube	Found footage of various Covenant murders, spliced between pre-apocalypse soviet footage
Video cassette #2	YouTube	Found footage of various Covenant activities including extensive observation, spliced between pre-apocalypse soviet footage
Short Story: The Bagheads and Dad	/r/DayzUnderground	A short out-of-character story from the perspective of some sort of Covenant leadership.
True Calling	/r/DayzUnderground	A short story written from the perspective of one of the Covenant
Adventures of Brokk and Finn - Chapter 9: Shamans of Steam	/r/DayzUnderground	Members of the Black Sheep describe their adventures on the streets of Chernogrosk, aware of the Bagheads stalking them in the shadows.
Assuming the Covenant	YouTube	Found footage of a pair of Covenant pilgrims in Chernogorsk documenting a spree of serial killings with a camera.
The Well of Sorrow	YouTube	The Covenant defend a holy site from sinners.
The Pilgrim	YouTube	A Covenant scout lurks near K-Mart before being discovered by RISE. Fascinated with the church, he leads K-Mart and RISE to Chernogorsk for some sort of sacrifice.
An Offering	YouTube	A Baghead observes the sinners in Gorka before offering himself as a sacrifice to the cause.
The Covenant	YouTube	People are oblivious to the Covenant watching them, for 15 minutes straight.