Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel

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	Faction Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel
	People founded by Brotherhood of Steel's ruling council (est. 2255) notable members: Lone Wanderer Head Scribe Rothchild Sentinel Lyons Star Paladin Cross Scribe Peabody Scribe Bowditch Scribe Jameson Locations headquarters Citadel locations Galaxy News Radio Arlington Library Jefferson Memorial Washington Monument White House Plaza MDPL mass relay station (formerly) Connections belongs to Brotherhood of Steel divisions Lyons' Pride related Brotherhood Outcasts

 

“

Our orders were, and are, to acquire any and all advanced technology. And we have, to the best of our abilities. Unfortunately, my superiors back west disagree with my assessment of the situation. They feel I've grown too "attached" to the local populace.

”— Owyn Lyons

Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel in the capital wasteland is a splinter faction of the original Brotherhood of Steel. Its headquarters is the Citadel, built into and beneath the ruins of the Pentagon on the edge of what used to be Washington, DC. As of 2277 it is led by Elder Owyn Lyons, in accordance with his own, Lyons Doctrine.

History

The Expedition

Main article: History of Lyons's Brotherhood of Steel

In the year 2254, twelve years after the destruction of the Enclave on the west coast, the Brotherhood's ruling council, based in the Lost Hills bunker in Southern California, decided to send a contingent to the East Coast, with one primary objective:

1. Recover any and all advanced technology from east coast cities and bases

The contingent was placed under the command of Paladin Owyn Lyons, accompanied by a technological advisor (Scribe Reginald Rothchild, privately a friend of Owyn), as well as several veteran members of the Brotherhood, including Paladins Henry Casdin and Ishmael Ashur.

See also: Brotherhood of Steel expedition to DC

Arrival

Main article: History of Lyons's Brotherhood of Steel

Lyons' group finally arrived in the Capital Wasteland in 2255, establishing a base of operations within the Pentagon in the first few months. Though the Pentagon was largely destroyed, its sub-levels remained, for the most part, intact and its surviving stockpiles contained undisturbed pre-War technology and weaponry to sustain their operations. The crown jewel though was Liberty Prime, a technological marvel that, if restored, could help the Brotherhood of Steel rebuild a strength and reputation that had been declining steadily for years.

The discovery of Liberty Prime earned Paladin Lyons a battlefield promotion to Elder, and a new directive from his superiors in Southern California – to establish a new, permanent Brotherhood base in the Capital Wasteland, and continue the search for any other advanced technology hidden in the former capital city’s ruins.

The Schism

Main article: Brotherhood Divide in the Capital Wasteland

As Owyn Lyons slowly changed the profile of the mission to DC, from gathering and processing pre-War technology to endeavours he considered beneficial to the local populace, discontent began to rise among his ranks. The dissatisfaction reached a boiling point in 2276 when Paladin Henry Casdin openly defied the Elder's orders and rallying his followers, secured large amounts of weapons and equipment and simply left the Citadel.

2277: The Year of Great Events

Lyons' Brotherhood began 2277 as a diminished, weakened force, suffering from a shortage of qualified combat personnel and severely depleted stocks of weapons and equipment. As a result, the Brotherhood has limited presence outside the Citadel, with only a handful of reinforced outposts scattered across the Washington metropolitan area.

Lyons was forced to recruit new members from the local population and the results are not impressive. The attrition rate is tremendous, primarily due to deploying freshly trained initiates into combat. Without proper training, they die rapidly, despite being issued military grade weapons and armour, up to and including T-45d powered armor.

It is in this weakened state that the Brotherhood was forced to face the Enclave. The Purifier they once abandoned has been reactivated by its former head researcher, James, with assistance from his child, known now only as the Lone Wanderer. The seizure of the Purifier and arrival of Madison Li with information that the Purifier can be made functional, despite previous data to the contrary, force Elder Lyons to make a decision. The Elder decides that having Enclave in control of the wasteland cannot be allowed. To this end, he begins to muster what little forces he has and gear them up for a campaign against the Enclave, while assigning the Lone Wanderer to retrieve the key to Project Purity: the GECK in Vault 87. Meanwhile, Madison Li and Scribe Rothchild set out to devise a way to make Liberty Prime operational.

Despite having barely enough men to keep the Citadel defended, Elder Lyons ordered the freshly activated, jury rigged Liberty Prime to be deployed, covered by the Lyons' Pride, in order to prevent the Enclave from activating the Purifier.

The spearhead carved a path through the perimeter around the purifier, including photonic resonance barriers, and finally, Sarah Lyons and the Wanderer punched through the remaining defenders, reaching the control room. Upon inputting the access code, Project Purity was activated and immediately began purifying the tidal basin in DC. However, the shockwave generated at the moment of activation threw both Lyons and the Wanderer into a coma.

Current status

Main article: History of Lyons's Brotherhood of Steel

Following the disastrous conflict with the Enclave, the Brotherhood enjoys a stable, but hardly unrivaled position. Suffering from severely depleted stockpiles and shortage of manpower at the beginning of the conflict, casualties taken during the fight with the Enclave and the loss of their most important military asset, Liberty Prime, makes the future uncertain. The Brotherhood has recovered a great amount of Enclave technology and has already begun reverse-engineering it during the conflict, the process, however, will take years to complete, while the Brotherhood Outcasts, the more technologically inclined faction that split from Lyons a year earlier, has not participated in the conflict, but has had access to Enclave technology long before Lyons' Scribes got their first salvaged suit of advanced powered armor to work with. They also did not suffer catastrophic casualties, or ran the risk of having their headquarters destroyed by an orbital strike, should the Lone Wanderer decide so when accessing the Bradley-Hercules orbital missile station. As such, it is erroneous to state that Lyons' Brotherhood controls, or is anywhere near controlling the Capital Wasteland, when its position is quite tenuous.

Organization

A squad of Paladins patrols the terrace in front of Pentagon's River Entrance facade

Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel is a rogue chapter of the Brotherhood, that has retained much of the customs of their parent organizations, with a few minor tweaks. As the original, it is essentially a techno-religious, pseudo-knightly military order, led by a single Elder, Owyn Lyons. The Elder has total control over the organization and its every aspect, from outlining the overarching goals, to assigning individual members duties to fullfill.

Unlike the original Brotherhood, Lyons' chapter has folded the Knight and Paladin castes into one, whose duties are focused on combat. Scribes, on the other hand, are tasked with both research, as well as manufacture of technologies. The division into the Orders of Sword, Shield and Quill are retained, however, as is the subdivision of Quill, the Order of the Word.

Military details

See: Brotherhood of Steel ranks

In the field, the Brotherhood operates in a squad based system, utilizing proper military tactics and maintaining strict hierarchy. Members of the military arm of the Brotherhood can be divided into three clear groups:

• Initiates who are born into the Brotherhood or local volunteers who are recruited to become members, however in recent years this has become a problem, with many of the Initiates lacking proper training and being rushed into combat. Unfortunately, these are the most numerous members of the Brotherhoods ground forces.
• Knights and Knight Captains and members who have served time in the Brotherhood and had become fully fledged members. They are the main backbone, less common than Initiates, but much better fighters.
• Paladins are veterans of the Brotherhood, many being members of Elder Lyons' original party that came out to D.C. They are among the best of the Brotherhood and are often high ranking field commanders or used in elite strike teams. Sentinel Lyons is the highest ranking field commander and answers directly to Elder Lyons, she heads up Lyon's Pride, the best soldiers of the Capital Wastelands' Brotherhood of Steel, in one squad.

After 2276and the formation of the Outcasts, the depleted ranks of the Brotherhood had to be bolstered with local recruits. However, the quality of those conscripted into Lyons' service is very low, as they are overeager, aggressive and unskilled

Citadel

Main article: Citadel

This section is transcluded from Citadel. To change it, please edit the transcluded page.

Opened in 1943, after two years of construction, the Pentagon was the nexus of the American military for the next 134 years, until the Great War of 2077 destroyed the United States. As headquarters of the Department of Defense, it was the symbol of the American military.

The building was constructed at the site formerly occupied by the notoriously unsafe Hoover-Washington Airfield. Although the original pentagonal shape was dictated by the planned Arlington Farms location, it was retained at President Roosevelt's request. The massive, four story high concrete building has five concentric rings, designated from the center out as "A" through "E" (with "F" and "G" in the basement). It also has five façades, counting clockwise from the north one : the Mall Terrace Entrance , the River Terrace Entrance façade, the Concourse Entrance (or Metro Station) façade, the South Parking Entrance façade, and the Heliport façade. The Mall Entrance and The River Entrance feature a portico, with the latter leading out to a long terrace once used for ceremonies.

In the years leading up to the Great War, the Pentagon was adapted as a location for one of the most secret military research projects, a joint venture between General Atomics and RobCo aiming to create Liberty Prime, the ultimate American war machine. However, the nuclear war and the destruction of America cut the project short and the damaged building was eventually abandoned.

It was not until 2255 that it earned a second lease on life, when the Elder council of the Brotherhood of Steel decided to send a contingent of soldiers to the East Coast, to recover any and all advanced technology from Washington, D.C. When the contingent under Paladin Owyn Lyons reached the Pentagon, they discovered it largely destroyed. However, upon closer inspection, they discovered its sub-levels mostly intact, with enough pre-War technology and weaponry to keep Brotherhood forces going. They also secured the mighty Liberty Prime - a technological marvel that, if finished, could help the Brotherhood rebuild a strength and reputation that had been declining steadily for years.

The discovery earned Paladin Owyn Lyons a battlefield promotion to Elder, and a new directive from his superiors – to establish a new, permanent Brotherhood base in the Capital Wasteland and continue the search for any other advanced technology hidden in the capital's ruins. The Citadel's construction was masterminded by Scribe Bowditch. The new gate, leading directly into the Bailey, was built into the destroyed corner between the Mall Entrance and River Entrance façades, with a crane-operated solid metal gate barring entrance.

After a few months of work, the husk that was Pentagon finally became the Citadel. The Brotherhood reoccupied the laboratory underneath the courtyard and the two inner rings, A and B. The remaining three are left empty, except as transit between the inhabited sections and the sentry posts mounted on the top rim of the E ring. The courtyard was adapted as training grounds, called the Bailey. Over the next decades, the former heart of the American military would bear witness to a number of events significant to the Capital Wasteland.

GNR Building Plaza

Main article: GNR Building Plaza

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Jefferson Memorial

Main article: Jefferson Memorial

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The Jefferson Memorial was a memorial in Washington, D.C. dedicated to the 18th century politician Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States of America. This 20th century monument was built on the bank of the Tidal Basin of the River Potomac, and was a major tourist site, second only to the Washington Monument. Unlike many other monuments in the city which were severely damaged or destroyed in the Great War of 2077, the Jefferson Memorial survived relatively intact into the 23rd century.

In the 2250s, the Memorial was selected by project lead James for Project Purity primarily for its location. The project's stated aim was for converting the Memorial into a water purifier where the river's water could be cleansed of radiation for use by residents of the Capital Wasteland. Project Purity was abandoned after James' wife Catherine died giving birth to their child and then picked up again 20 years later.

The statue of Thomas Jefferson can be seen in pristine condition submerged within Project Purity as it is activated.

In the add-on Broken Steel, the Purifier is operational. Brotherhood of Steel Knights and Scribes work inside and outside of the Memorial under the direction of Bigsley, overseeing the ongoing operation of Project Purity and organizing distribution of the aqua pura it generates. Additional Knights patrol the catwalks and shore for dying mirelurks, which apparently are being poisoned by the clean water. This may be due to the fact that mirelurks evolved after much of the Wasteland's water was irradiated, and can thus only survive in radioactive water.

The water caravans that depart from the Jefferson Memorial take a C-Route from the Memorial, west to Smith Casey's Garage, Northeast to Paradise Falls and then continues to the Republic of Dave where it turns around back on its route.

Washington Monument

Main article: Washington Monument

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The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first American president, General George Washington. Completed in 1888, the monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss, stands 555 feet 51⁄8 inches (169.294 m) tall.

As the Great War devastated Washington D.C., the monument weathered the onslaught, likely thanks to the steel reinforcements within. The battered monument is still standing, towering above the ruins of the old capital city and the battle torn Mall. As the tallest structure in DC, it is clearly visible from nearly anywhere in the city.

The Washington Monument has been claimed by the Brotherhood of Steel, as their forward operating base in the Mall.

Relations with the outside

By 2277, the Brotherhood has very limited relations with the outside. The Citadel itself is off limits to outsiders and Elder Lyons aborted nearly all military operations, with the exception of hunting supermutants in the ruins of Washington D.C. (a fact mocked by the Outcasts as a pointless hunt for the white whale). It still does limited trading with the outside, primarily for supplies.

Before 2277, the Brotherhood was a more active player in the wasteland. It aided the protection of Megaton and the construction of Project Purity before Elder Lyons decided it was a wasted effort.

Technology

The technological level of Lyons's Brotherhood is varied. After the Schism in 2276, the chapter has lost a great deal of its weapons, equipment and most importantly men, beginning 2277 as a greatly diminished force. The shortage of supplies also means difficulties in maintaining weapons, armor, equipment and particualrly any potential research. Although diminished, they did not stop researching new technologies, and modifying current designs.

The Brotherhood does, however, have access to an ample supply of T-45d power armor, which is standard issue to any personnel operating in the field, even initiates. However, due to the amount of untrained initiates in the ranks of Lyons' organization, the Brotherhood is losing equipment very fast, as every dead Initiate that's left in the wasteland means one less suit of armour and one less loadout set. Their main weapons are ether the R91, Type 93 assault rifles, or the CZ53 personal minigun.

The campaign against the Enclave and the eventual victory, unlike the campaign against the supermutants, has provided the Brotherhood with a fresh supply of advanced technology, including Enclave power armor variants scavenged from dead troopers and Enclave weaponry. While reverse engineering procedures are underway, it might take years for the technology to be fully understood, researched and retrieved from the wreckage of various bases in the wasteland. However, it has come at the cost of losing Liberty Prime, the only truly unique war asset the Brotherhood had, and it is unknown if rebuilding him is at all possible.

Notable members

See: Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel characters

At current count, the Brotherhood of Steel is comprised of ~110 members (85 combatants and 24 non-combatants). These are the confirmed numbers in-game; the real storyline number of the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel may be more or less in the middle hundreds (depending on outside recruitment). With Broken Steel more Brotherhood of Steel soldiers can be found in areas that the Brotherhood have captured from the Enclave making the numbers higher than they were before the events of Broken Steel.

Formerly

• Paladin Ashur (2254/55)
• Henry Casdin (2276)
  • All Brotherhood Outcasts (2276)

As of 2277

To name a few...

• Paladin Tristan
• Operations Officer Edwards
• Knight Captain Colvin
• Knight Captain Dusk
• Knight Captain Gallows
• Paladin Glade
• Paladin Kodiak
• Paladin Vargas
• Paladin Gunny
• Knight Captain Durga
• Scribe Bigsley
• Squire Maxson

Appearances

The Capital Wasteland Brotherhood of Steel appears in Fallout 3 and Broken Steel, and are mentioned in The Pitt.

Notes

• While external recruitment is present in Fallout Tactics, and the "Texas Expedition" in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, the original Brotherhood in Lost Hills refrained from recruiting outsiders, sending them on missions to the Glow. The Vault Dweller's unexpected success was unprecedented.
• The Brotherhood Outcasts, a split faction of Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel, is conceptually similar to the Circle of Steel in Van Buren. However, although they are hardliner loyalists, they do not have contact with the core Brotherhood.
• The War Department rather than the Department of Defense was mentioned in the Maxson Log holodisk in Fallout.

Gallery

• 

  Brotherhood of Steel member in the intro of Fallout 3.

• 

  T-45d power armor render.

• 

  AER9 laser rifle/Enclave plasma pistol/CZ53 personal minigun/Capital wasteland conceptual design

• 

  Early conceptual design of the Citadel/Recon helmet conceptual design

• 

  BoS Scribe/Elder/early wasteland conceptual design

• 

  Super sledge/Recon armor/early wasteland conceptual design

References

The Citadel Characters Knight Artemis · Arthur Maxson · Paladin Bael · Scribe Bowditch · Knight Captain Colvin · Star Paladin Cross · Knight Captain Durga · Knight Captain Dusk · Scribe Jameson · Paladin Glade · Paladin Kodiak · Paladin Gunny · Knight Captain Gallows · Liberty Prime · Owyn Lyons · Scribe Peabody · Scribe Rothchild · Sarah Lyons · Sawbones · Paladin Tristan · Scribe Vallincourt · Paladin Vargas Quests Fallout 3 The Waters of Life · Picking up the Trail · Finding the Garden of Eden · The American Dream · Take it Back! · Collecting Holotags · Gallows Humor Broken Steel Death From Above · Shock Value · Who Dares Wins · Getting Ready for Prime Time · Blood Brotherhood Groups Brotherhood of Steel · Lyons' Pride