The Followers of Yermak are an enigmatic cult in the Novgorod Region of Russia, founded sometime after the Third World War, with a base located somewhere between Lake Ilmen and Vizha. The origin of the name is unknown, though some speculate that the followers are named after the 16th century Cossack leader Yermak Timofeyevich, however, the name may be unrelated.
The exact details of the cult’s beliefs are unknown because of their insular nature, however, they are known to be extremely violent and will attack anyone who crosses their paths, and was active in conflict with the postwar factions, the Novgorod Republic, the New Order, and the Trade Union.
Their conflict with the New Order, however, ended in an alliance with the New Order with the goal of destroying their shared enemies, the Novgorod Republic and the Trade Union. Much of the Followers’ forces were killed during an attack on Veliky Novgorod, the Republic’s capital. Afterwards, the surviving Yermak troops were betrayed by the New Order. The Republic, however, was not finished, and a Republic-Trade Union alliance known as the Novgorod Commonwealth destroyed the main base of both the New Order and the Followers of Yermak.
After their destruction at the Battle of the Cult Camp, the remaining cultists divided into sects and slowly began to unscrew the bolts of the faction. One large group attacked the city of Chudovo. They massacred many citizens and created an especially gruesome scene in the church. They were eventually pushed out by Commonwealth soldiers and civilians. Although they still pop up from time to time, they slowly fade away from wasteland memory.
Battle vs. Forged (by SPARTAN 119)[]
Forged: 
x8, Technical x1
Followers of Yermak: 
x8, Power Armor x1
A squad of Followers of Yermak walked down a highway towards an abandoned town, as a technical armed with a DShK machine gun slowly drove alongside them, having been sent out on a raiding party. Near the edge of the town was an old steelworks, which, little did they know, had been taken over by the Forged, looking to expand their operation.
Five Forged guard stood on the catwalks on the exterior of the steel mill, keeping watch over the approach. As they spotted the Followers approaching, one of Forged guards raised an assault rifle and fired at the gunner on the Yermak technical.
As soon as the gunner fell from the technical, one of the Followers of Yermak mounted up on the gun, while the rest lay down suppressing fire with their AKs. As soon as the new gunner mounted up on the technical, he lay down a hail of 12.7mm rounds in the direction of the Forged. The rounds blew right through the improvised scrap metal barricades the Forged had placed on the catwalks and the scrap metal barrier outside the steelworks, cutting down two members of the Forged.
The Followers of Yermak advanced towards the steel mill, the fire from the machine gun on the technical forcing the Forged to retreat behind cover or into the steel mill itself, allowing the Followers to advance to barricade outside the entrance of the steel mill. As they did, however, two Forged Cultists threw Molotov cocktails at the technical, one of them setting fire to the vehicle. Two Yermak cultists were engulfed in flames as the vehicle burned.
Both of the Forged cultists that threw the Molotov cocktails ran, one of them making it into the steel mill, but the other was not so lucky, being hit by three rounds from an AK-74 and falling face down on the ground. After making sure that there were no forged left outside the mill, the Followers of Yermak prepared to enter the building. One of them tossed an RGD-5 grenade into the interior of the building.
The grenade exploded, killing one of the Forged, however, the others survived the explosion by taking cover behind piles of scrap metal waiting to be loaded into the vats of molten steel. The Followers of Yermak burst into the room to be greeted by a jet for fire from a flamethrower. Two of the Followers of Yermak were immolated by blast.
One of the soldiers Yermak retaliated, firing his AA-12 automatic shotgun at the Forged with the flamethrower. The man's chest was perforated by several buckshot. If that didn't kill him, the explosion of his fuel tank certainly did. The fireball from the exploding flamethrower also ignited a second Forged, who flailed about wildly, trying to extinguish the flames. As he did, he accidentally fell into a vat of molten steel and was instantly incinerated.
Having cleared the main floor of the mill, the Followers of Yermak burst into room containing the blast furnace. The lead Follower fired a three-round burst from his AA-12, killing a Forged cultist on the catwalks above the furnace. As soon as the Yermak cultist took down his Forged counterpart, however, he was struck several shots from an N-99 10mm pistol.
The next Yermak cultist turned just in time to see the Forged leader, a man clad in power armor known as Slag, lunge at him, swinging a sword modified to emit flames from what looked like a modified blowtorch. The Yermak cultist raised his AK in front of the strike, only barely blocking it. The enhanced strength provided by his power armor allowed Slag to knock the Yermak Follower of his feet. Slag raised his flaming sword, which he called "Shishkebab" to finish off the Fallen Yermak cultist, but the strike never fell. Instead, the last Yermak cultist in the stack fired his Makarov pistol, scoring a perfect head shot, killing Slag instantly.
The cultist walked over to his fellow and helped him to his feet. "It is not the will of Yermak that you die today, brother", the second Follower said. After helping his comrade up, the cultist takes Slag's sword for himself as a trophy.
WINNER: Followers of Yermak
Expert's Opinion[]
The experts believed that the the Followers would win this battle because of the firepower of their technical and their superior AA-12 and grenade, which were more effective weapons than the flamethrower and Molotovs used by the Forged. Also of note was the superior logistics- existing soon after the apocalypse than the Forged.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.
Battle vs. Eden's Gate (by SPARTAN 119)[]
- Project at Eden's Gate: Troops x 10, Technicals x2
- Followers of Yermak: Troops x 10, Technicals x2
Ten Project at Eden's Gate cultist stood at a roadblock in abandoned town at the edge of a dense coniferous forest. A PEG technical stood in the path of the road, at the entrance of the town itself, along with five cultists on foot in the street, and five more spread between the roof a two-story store overlooking the edge of town and a house on the opposite side of the road.
Suddenly, an RPG flew out from the forest, impacting the technical on the left side of the road. The explosion set off the ammunition and fuel inside the truck in a ball of flames that killed the entire crew, as well as two other PEG cultists standing near the vehicle. While the Peggies were thrown into chaos by the explosion, a group of about ten Followers of Yermak advanced out of the woods, firing their weapons, while two Yermak technicals advanced down the road, their DShK machine guns blazing.
A PEG cultist on top of the two-story store tried to fire an RPG at the Yermak technicals, but was struck by dozens of 5.45 and 12.7mm rounds, perforating his body. The RPG discharged as he fell backwards, the rocket going high, over the heads of the Yermak cultist and landing harmlessly several hundred meters away.
"Reinforcements incoming, keep those sinners at bay!", a voice called out over the PEG radio as technical drove in through the clearing surrounding the abandoned town. The PEG technical fired its Browning M2 at both of its Yermak counterparts. Both Yermak technicals were struck by multiple rounds, the crew being torn apart by the high-caliber rounds as engines of the trucks ignited, reducing them to flaming wrecks. The .50 round kept going after piercing through the trucks, killing two unfortunate Followers. (PEG: 7 troops, 1 technical), Yermak: 8 troops, 0 technicals)
The PEG technical, however, was neutralized seconds later. The Yermak RPG gunner fired a rocket at the technical, which did not directly strike the truck, but impacted about a meter to the side. The blast was powerful enough to overturn the weaponized pickup, sending the gunner flying through the air and landing headfirst a dozen meters away, the impact instantly killing him. The driver crawled out of the upended cultist vehicle and tried to draw his pistol, but was struck by several rounds fired by the advancing Yermak cultists, who advanced, using the downed vehicles as cover, with shouts of "In the name of Yermak!".
As the Yermak troops advanced, A PEG cultist clad in heavy armor pointed an M60 machine gun out the window of an abandoned house with a shout of "God forgot about you a long time ago!" and opened fire, supported by three more cultists armed with customized AR-15s. Two Followers of Yermak who were running between cover were struck by the hail of bullets and cut down in a hail of fire. The rest of the Yermak cultists were pinned down behind destroyed technicals and rusted out farming equipment lying in the clearing surrounding the abandoned village. (PEG: 7 troops, Yermak: 6 troops).
A Follower of Yermak shouted to his comrades, before running to the rusted hulk of an old tractor and placing a PKM machine gun on the hood, firing the weapons at the Peggies, striking a PEG cultist on the roof of the two-story store, killing him with a burst of fire to the chest. This got their attention. A Peggie with an RPG fired at the tractor, destroying the rusting machine along with the Follower behind it.
But the Yermak machine gunner's sacrifice was not in vain. Thanks to his distraction, the other five Yermak cultists managed to advance closer to the Peggie's left flank. An RPG slammed into the side of the where the Peggie with the M60 stood, blowing away the wall and part of the roof of the structure and killing all three PEG cultists inside. (PEG: 4, Yermak: 5)
The five Yermak cultists burst in through the hole in the wall, weapons in hand, only for the lead cultists to be struck by a shotgun blast. A PEG cultist had entered the building and fired his weapon at the Yermak cultist. The fallen Follower was instantly avenged, as the next Yermak cultist in the ground fired a burst of three buckshot shells into the Peggie with an AA-12, spraying his blood onto the walls of the ruined house.
The Follower with the AA-12 then advanced to the front window of the house while crouching, before rising up and spraying the lower floor of the storefront. The two Peggies inside were filled with shot as the wide window of the store shattered. The AA-12 gunner, however, was hit seconds later by a shot from the last Peggie on the roof with an AR-15.
The last stand of the last survivor of Eden's Gate, however, was cut short in a storm of bullets as he fell before the AKs of the Followers. The three survivors of the Followers of Yermak looked among themselves, and realized they were the last survivors of their patrol, and turned away from the ruined town, realizing they had no chance to hold it if more of the enemy came.
WINNER: Followers of Yermak
Expert's Opinion[]
The Followers of Yermak won this battle thanks in large part to their superior combat experience, having faced larger and more organized adversaries such as the Novgorod Commonwealth and the New Order. This advantage, as well as some weapon advantages, allowed them to overcome the superior logistics of the Project at Eden's Gate.