

When the valleys of the Burnaja and Svetlaya rivers were inhabited by Skyth tribes and nomads, who later formed the Takmyr and Karzeg nations. First settlements date back to 5th Century B.C. There are mostly smaller villages inland, situated in deep valleys, hidden in forested ridges or on elevated plateaus with lush meadows. The biggest cities and industry are concentrated on the southern coast.

The environment is still relatively untouched from logging and mining. North-Eastern Chernarus is a hilly area with rocky coastlines the biggest hilltops reach over 700 m above sea level, covered by temperate forests. Whatever the truth is, Devil's Castle is one of the most remarkable architectural sights in Chernarus and it became a rewarding destination for tourists. Only burned walls remain of the castle, haunted to this day by the spirit of Ivan Kozlov. According to legend, the Devil's Castle was burned down during the zagorian Karzeg's rebellion, Jakub Čert burned in the castle's main tower after he refused to surrender to Ataman Simurg. He enlarged the keep of the castle, using the loot from these raids and the castle holds his name to this day. His bandit campaigns started here at the castle. The former Kozlovo Castle, now called the Devil's Castle, was supposedly inhabited by the yeoman Jakub Čert (Devil) from Gorka. After the fall of Kozlov's Principate at the beginning of the 13th century, the fortress system fell apart fortresses that weren't burned down were taken apart stone by stone, as needed for the structure of surrounding estates, or for different purposes. The Devil's Castle received its name many years later, perhaps sometime during the end of the 13th century. Rocky peak is a favorite lookout point nowadays.The majority of the structures of that time were made of wood, only the ruins of Rog keep and the famous Devil's Castle are preserved to this day. On the peak above the city there used to stand a warning post which protected the local provinces from pirate raids. The Pik Kozlova above the Chernogorsk city is named after this duke, who is considered a founder of the first Chernarussian state.

However, they rarely speak English, so knowledge of Chernarussian or Russian really helps.
