In 2027 a mysterious epidemic swept the world, starting almost simultaneously in every part of the Earth. Those who didn’t die on the first day experienced hallucinations and headaches, many of them lost their minds or killed themselves. The source of the disease that journalists named Crossout, and the nature of its effect on people was never identified.
While the media still functioned several hypotheses concerning the disease were announced. Some claimed that the radiation of TVs and mobile phones was poisoned by an information virus as the result of a terrorist attack. According to another version, the atmosphere was polluted because of a recent meteorite hit. Some were talking about an evolutionary leap and the new humanity.
The planet descended into chaos. People fled cities that had become mass graves. Many tried to save themselves using gas masks and respirators, as well as completely rejecting electronic devices. All was in vain and in a few totally nightmarish months, the human civilization was almost destroyed.
Those of humans that survived the catastrophe started to transform gradually — in fifteen years those transformations started to manifest visibly. The most notable metamorphoses affected the eyes — some started to glow, others looked more like a black abyss. To conceal these deviations from the others, people started to hide under tight clothing and dark glasses.
More than twenty years passed since the 'Crossout'. Many remember what life was like before. As always, some try to build the old world back and some enjoy the chaos and destruction. But there are also those who have nothing human left. They hide their faces under masks and their motives are unknown.
Not everyone in the new world seek chaos and destruction, there are those who want to retain the memories of the past. Scouts of the “Order of the falling star” are some of them. Well armed and mobile, these lone fighters devoted their lives to finding artifacts and various data storage devices. Where and why do those “Stars” bring the artifacts is largely unknown, but curious Scar AB pays good money for any containers with their logo. New pieces are regularly added to their artifact collection, since the Wasterlands are dangerous even for the most battle-hardened veterans.