Albert Cole

The Vault Dweller

Albert Michael Cole (a.k.a. Al)

The first of the Heroes to emerge from his Vault, Albert Cole is an ambitious man sent on a last-ditch mission to save his Vault... and saves the West Coast Wasteland in the process. His actions change the course of the Wasteland in a beautiful example of the butterfly effect, showing how just a few kinds words and a helping hand here or there can influence the rise and fall of empires.

Divine Domains

The Sky-Vault - The Arroyan vision of the afterlife: a great Vault that has resources a plenty and where no one wants for anything.

Holy Books & Codes

The Vault Dweller's Memoirs - an autobiography written or recorded by Albert himself. It is kept safe by the Elder and Shaman of the Arroyan Village.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

The number 13 inside a six-toothed or eight-toothed gear. Originally the number on Vault 13's main entrance.

Holidays

Day of The Meeting - a day of thanks, where the people of Arroyo give thanks for The Vault Dweller meeting the Vault 13 separatists and leading them towards present-day Arroyo.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Generally healthy, he develops more defined muscles over his time in the Wasteland. He acquires several scars on his body and face from the various battles he found himself in. Despite not wanting to, he eventually grows out his hair and beard, but keeps his hair at shoulder length. He eventually gets a tattoo on the side of his neck, 'commemorating' his exile from Vault 13.

Body Features

Caucasian skin tone - tans over time in the Wasteland.
Brown hair
Grey eyes
Muscular build, with broad shoulders

Facial Features

Facial Shape:

Has a fairly square face and defined jaw (when clean shaven)
Has a prominent brow ridge
Has a large roman nose

Facial Hair:

Before Exile - remained clean shaven
After Exile - grows out a beard, mostly due to lack of resources to shave on a regular basis
Eyebrows are always bushy and unkempt.

Identifying Characteristics

Tattoo on neck: A Vault-Boy head with two 'X' marks over its eyes on a background of a red rose. A banner with script flows over top and bottom of the image and reads: "Vault Reject". This tattoo was acquired in New Reno, after the events of Fallout 1 but before the other Vault 13 residents vacate.
Faded scar over left eye and down the cheek from a battle while rescuing Tandi from the Khans.

Physical quirks

Right handed
Confident posture

Special abilities

None.

Apparel & Accessories

Before Exile - Vault 13 jumpsuit and brown boots. No seasonal variants
Summer Outfit After Exile - Brahmin-skin leathers with combat armor. Brown boots from Vault outfit.
Winter Outfit After Exile - Brahmin-skin leathers and brown boots. Gray Bleater-wool coat and scarf.

Specialized Equipment

Main weapon: TBD
Secondary weapon: TBD
Tertiary/Melee: TBD
Ceremonial weapon: TBD

Mental characteristics

Personal history

See Albert Cole's Personal Timeline.

Gender Identity

Cisgendered Male (he/him)

Sexuality

Heterosexual

Education

Vault Education up to age 16.

Employment

Vault Mediator - Albert's role in the Vault was to help settle any differences between residents that were too petty to concern the Overseer or security personnel, but were still causing problems between the affected parties. It is similar in nature to that of a lawyer - Retired.
Village Elder - Upon the completion of the events of Fallout 1, Albert is elected to the position of Elder of Arroyo. He holds this office until his daughter is born and takes her place as Elder, at which point he leaves Arroyo and is never seen again.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Successfully locates and returns a water chip to Vault 13
Successfully destoys the FEV vats at Mariposa Military Base
Successfully talks down The Master by proving that Super Mutants are sterile, resulting in the destruction of The Cathedral.
Successfully repairs Necropolis' water pump to allow them to live after he takes their water chip.
Successfully takes down Gizmo at Junktown and helps Killian Darkwater take control of the small town.
Successfully rescues Tandi from the Great Khans and returns her home, resulting in the eventual rise of the New California Republic
Successfully locates and ousts a Children of the Cathedral spy for the Followers of the Apocalypse, and trains them on how to defend themselves in the future.
Successfully saves Paladin Rhombus of The Brotherhood of Steel, allowing the Brotherhood to assist in defending small towns and settlements against the Super Mutant threat.
Successfully eases tensions at The Hub, allowing the trade center to flourish
Successfully guides the Vault 13 separatists north and establishes the village of Arroyo

Failures & Embarrassments

Fails in stopping the Super Mutant Army from razing Necropolis
Fails in achieving a diplomatic solution to reunite the Great Khans with the residents of Shady Sands, resulting in them being nearly wiped out.
Is exiled from Vault 13 shortly after defeating the Master and disposing of the Mutants' FEV vats. He loses hope about his place in the world and wanders south towards New Reno.

Mental Trauma

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Intellectual Characteristics

Very Charismatic - knows what, when, and how to say things to get his way. Most of the time.
Skilled - is very good at learning new skills and keeping them sharp.

Morality & Philosophy

Albert is very good natured - he finds many portions of Wasteland culture to be disconcerting, such as the slave trade and the 'eye-for-an-eye' or worse style of justice. Over time, he does become accustomed to Wasteland justice, but never advocates for it, instead choosing to offer alternatives such as community service, especially in Arroyo.
Albert's overall philosphy, particularly after his exile from Vault 13 is bleak but hopeful at the same time. He recognizes that the world was destroyed and has a multitude of problems, but he also believes that nurturing kindness will help it start to heal, even if it is slow.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Main motivation: To find a Water Chip for Vault 13
Secondary motivation: To destroy the Super Mutant threat
Post-Exile motivation: to keep the village of Arroyo from failing

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Very good with words, knows to to deescalate a situation before it gets violent.
Good at picking up new skills without losing the ability to remember and use his old ones.
Not very good at combat, often relies on words to talk his way out of a situation, or his allies to help in combat itself.
Not skilled with any sort of mechanical engineering, and relies on pre-existing books, holotapes, or instructional manuals.

Hygiene

Tries to stay as clean as possible.
Takes sand baths to help with sweating in the desert heat.
Regularly combs out hair and beard to prevent mats from forming.

Social

Family Ties

Patricia "Pat" Cole - Wife Maya Cole - Daughter Teshi - Grandson

Religious Views

Athiest - after seeing the Wasteland and coming up close and personal with the mutations it can cause, he highly doubts that there's any higher being watching out for anyone. Ironically, he becomes something of a saint/deity in the eyes of the village he founded, which practices ancestor worship.

Social Aptitude

Albert is very charismatic, although in Vault 13, it caused more trouble for him than not. However, in the Wasteland, it was his words and charisma (in addition to his general determination) that allowed for the destruction of the Super Mutant threat.
Prior to his exile from Vault 13, he's fairly confident in his abilities, though he gets a bit of a shell-shock in Shady Sands when people don't take him at his word. For a brief period in between his exile and meeting up with the Vault 13 separatists, he loses all hope and confidence in himself, but it slowly returns upon meeting the separatists and realizing that he can help them survive.
His ego took a big hit in Shady Sands when he had to learn that actions spoke louder than words, and that a helping hand means more than platitudes. But he caught on to the concepts quickly, and then stayed more humble in the future.
He is a fairly extroverted person, enjoying talking and telling stories with others, but he doesn't like that many of the Vault 13 separatists viewed him as a near-god.
In the Vault he was considered loud and outspoken, but its his determination and willingness to speak up and take action that makes him such a power force in the Wasteland.

Hobbies & Pets

Dogmeat - a wasteland mutt who takes a liking to him.

Divine Classification

Saint

Current Location

The West Coast Wasteland

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Prime Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Elder of Arroyo

Life

2134 2210 76 years old

Circumstances of Birth

Albert is the product of mild genetic engineering through selective breeding. Both of his parents were some of the Vault's smarter residents, and as such, he inherited their intelligence. However, his charisma and temper were considered unwanted traits.

Circumstances of Death

Presumed dead after leaving home village of Arroyo.

Birthplace

Vault 13

Children

Current Residence

Arroyo

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Short and brown, slightly messy. After time in the Wasteland: shoulder length, pulled back into a bun.

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

White, then tanned as he spends time in the Wastes.

Height

5'10

Known Languages

Wasteland English (spoken and written) - Fluent

Appears in...

Character Prototype

S - 5
P - 6
E - 4
C - 9
I - 6
A - 4
L - 6

Stories