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NCR soldiers crucified by the Legion at Nelson.

Crucifixion is a form of capital punishment used by Caesar's Legion.

Characteristics[]

Crucifixion is a form of punishment where the victim is tied to a horizontal beam attached to a vertical one (the eponymous cross) and left to hang. Death is slow, occurring as a result of asphyxiation, exposure, infection, or a combination of these factors.

Crucifixion is inexpensive and easily arranged. The Legion commonly uses power line pylons as readily available crosses. They do not use nails to mount victims, which conserves resources, but allows the condemned to be freed (which does not happen often). Unlike its inspiration, the Legion's victims of crucifixion are not forced to strip naked beforehand.[1]

In terms of incidence, crucifixion is associated exclusively with Caesar's Legion, which uses it as the default form of capital punishment. Crucifixion is broadly used to punish those caught breaking the laws of the Legion. For example, the Great Khan drug runner Anders was caught in possession of drugs and crucified by the Legion for trafficking.[2] The slow, wasting execution also doubles as a tool of terror and discipline. For example, when the Twisted Hairs tried to resist assimilation, Caesar had all the defiant tribesmen crucified along Interstate 40 as a symbol of his power and a reminder to other tribes.[3]

The same approach is practiced in the Mojave, where the town of Nelson was sacked and much of its population crucified to undermine the morale of the Republic and local populations.[4] The NCR soldiers captured at Nelson were hanged on crosses in full view of NCR positions to also deter possible attacks, as inexperienced NCR troops will not assault Legion strongholds if their imprisoned comrades are likely to be killed as a result.[5][6] In response to this and other instances of torture at the hands of the Legion, NCR snipers are expected to mercy kill crucified soldiers.[7]

Crucifixion does not discriminate. While the Legion will crucify underperforming slaves and those who violate its laws, even vital assets may wind up on the cross if they fail a task given to them by Caesar. Extraordinary service may be an extenuating circumstance, contingent on redeeming themselves; though in Caesar's view, crucifixion itself might be a mercy, as there are worse, unspecified punishments available to him.[8] Local leaders are terrified of the prospect of them taking over the Mojave due to this extreme form of punishment.[9] Benny in particular fears crucifixion.[10]

Instances[]

  • Cottonwood Cove: Anders (NV 164 west of the camp proper) and numerous crucified slaves on the road to Cottonwood Cove.
  • Nipton: Powder Gangers. There are several other bodies that have been wasted away and skeletalized.
  • Nelson: Three captured NCR troopers are crucified in the center of the mining settlement. The player is asked to put them out of their misery or free them.
  • Legate's camp: Numerous crucified slaves.
  • The Fort: Slaves and troopers. Benny can be crucified by the Legion, if the player chooses that punishment after entering the bunker underneath Fortification Hill for Caesar. This is the only way of dealing with Benny that actually frightens him.[10]

The player can put crucified people out of their misery for no Karma loss. These "kills" do not give XP, but they do count toward the player's kill total and progress toward perks, such as Lord Death. The only thing that can be scavenged from the corpses is their clothing. They cannot be set free, with the exception of the crucified soldiers at Nelson and Anders at Cottonwood Cove (but only if the requisite quest is active).

Behind the scenes[]

Question: Elaborating: Rape in fiction can be a trauma trigger. Your game has Cook Cook raping left and right. I want to understand why you thought this was necessary and important, considering Fallout didn't have this, not even when Tandi was kidnapped

Anything that has been traumatic for an individual can be a trauma trigger when portrayed in a fictional environment. Fallout's recurring theme is 'War never changes.' Rape is an element of war (often a conscious and intentional tool of war) and is often an element of post-apocalyptic fiction used to show the depravity of humanity in the absence of law (e.g. The Road Warrior features rape directly, albeit viewed through a telescope). F:NV features two major powers engaged in an extremely brutal conflict with myriad small groups (like the Fiends) taking advantage of the chaos. They engage in a full spectrum of cruelty against each other including crucifixion, limb mutilation, torture, booby trapping wounded soldiers (and corpses), mass irradiation, enslavement, and yes, rape.
Joshua Sawyer, Formspring

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Benny's crucifixion, the same animation and assets are used for every other one.
  2. The Courier: "Who did this to you?"
    Anders: "A Legion patrol caught me trying to cross the river. When they found the, umm, package I was carrying, they strung me up there."
    (Anders' dialogue)
  3. Legion slave ledger
  4. The Courier: "You're demoralizing the enemy by leaving them alone?"
    Dead Sea: "I do not question Caesar's will! I do not second-guess! I butchered this town. Those who weren't hacked limb from limb were forced to throw themselves from the cliffs. Three more, I have just crucified. All this, in full view of the enemy's spotters to the north. Yes, our presence here demoralizes the enemy."
    (Dead Sea's dialogue)
  5. The Courier: "Why take out the hostages?"
    Ranger Milo: "The troopers won't go down into the camp with their comrades at risk. Dirty game the Legion likes to roll out whenever they get a chance. Problem is, Ranger Milo doesn't want to play. If we take out the hostages, they've got squat for leverage."
    (Ranger Milo's dialogue)
  6. The Courier: "Don't you have the authority to command the troopers to go into the camp?"
    Ranger Milo: "I'm a ranger. They're troopers. Different branches. I don't have authority over them even though they're as green as a Super Mutant's backside. Besides, they'd probably start crying as soon as they saw the hostages get so much as a bruise. Nope, they don't got the stomach for it."
    (Ranger Milo's dialogue)
  7. Craig Boone: "Mercy killing is expected of NCR snipers. The Legion likes to torture their prisoners within sight of NCR positions. We get called on to end it. I've had my share. Some of them, you think, maybe you could've gotten them out. Maybe it's not the Legion that got them killed. Maybe it's your orders and you following them."
    (Boone's dialogue)
  8. The Courier: "I apologize for my failure, mighty Caesar. It will not happen again."
    Caesar: "That's right. Under normal circumstances, the reason it wouldn't happen again is that you'd be crucified - or worse. Only in light of the extraordinary service you've rendered unto me am I going to overlook this failure. Bear in mind how much you have to make up for, how much you have to prove yourself in your next task..."
    (Caesar's dialogue)
  9. The Courier: "You think Caesar would destroy the Strip?"
    Benny: "Nah, just spruce it up with a crucifixion here and there. Come closer so I can step on you. The Legion is twisted, baby - original losers worshipping the king of creeps like he's some kind of god. They're worse than roaches. My advice? Put on your stomping shoes."
    (Benny's dialogue)
  10. 10.0 10.1 The Courier: "You'll be crucified for my amusement."
    Benny: "Don't do that, baby, not crucifixion. I could be up there for days with those twisted creeps laughing and pointing."
    (Benny's dialogue)
CaesarLegionSymbol
Caesar'sLegionVexillum
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