Brotherhood of Steel

The Brotherhood of Steel is a post-War techno-religious paramilitary organization with chapters operating across the ruins of America. The group has its roots in the United States Armed Forces, founded by a United States Army security team stationed at Mariposa Military Base before the Great War. While the goals of the Brotherhood vary from chapter to chapter, they share a core mission centred on seizing and regulating pre-War technology throughout the wasteland. Though small, the Brotherhood has been an influential group in the history of the wasteland, first as a survivalist group, then a major research and development house, then finally as the enemy of the New California Republic, fighting a bitter war for control of technology in New California. Having suffered defeats in the West, the Brotherhood would be strengthened on the Eastern reaches of the continent, under Elder Arthur Maxson.
Over the years, the Brotherhood grew confident in its status as the sole source of advanced technology left to mankind, and allowed its prominence and influence to wane, growing stagnant. This stagnancy made them unable to deal with the technologically superior Enclave, when the Brotherhood learned of their existence circa 2240.In order to learn more about them, the Brotherhood reactivated a network of outposts in Northern California to observe Enclave activity. Once the Enclave was destroyed by the Chosen One, the Brotherhood was without a foe to face. In an effort to end the stagnation the Brotherhood expanded eastward (most notably the formation of the Mojave chapter under Elder Elijah).
The rampant expansionism of the NCR would eventually lead to a collision course with the Brotherhood. As the NCR's power grew, the Brotherhood adopted a policy of reclaiming technology from people outside the order, energy weapons most of all.  The disagreements over the way technology should be handled eventually resulted in full out war with the New California Republic. The Brotherhood was eventually forced into a retreat. At least six Brotherhood bunkers were lost to the Republic, four of them destroyed by the Brotherhood themselves in a last ditch attempt to deny them to the enemy. The most well-known known confrontation occurred during the NCRA's Operation: Sunburst in 2276. Under Elder Elijah's leadership, the Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel was operating out of the solar power plant of HELIOS One when the NCR launched an attack. The NCR's numerical superiority over the Brotherhood, coupled with Elder Elijah's immense reluctance to leave Helios, allowed the NCR to overwhelm the defenders, leading to the loss of over half the chapter. The Mojave chapter of the Brotherhood was considered effectively neutralized. The Mojave chapter went under lockdown following their defeat at HELIOS One and the retreat to Hidden Valley.

Belief System: At first, the Brotherhood focused on aiding survivors to the best of its ability, acting as an armed fighting force, rather than a military order it would become. The change came with the realization that the collective knowledge of humanity was in danger of being lost for generations to come. To keep the secrets of the past alive, Maxson decided to dedicate the Brotherhood to the preservation of technology and human knowledge, collecting it in order that the Brotherhood might become the catalyst for humanity's rebirth. As the guardians of civilization, the Brotherhood would focus on the big picture, with direct aid considered a secondary concern.
The Brotherhood rejects technological development for the sake of technological development, drawing on the lessons of the Great War. The Brotherhood holds that it was a result of technological progress outpacing man's restraint and moral progress. Consumerism and greed became the driving forces of progress, new technologies exploited by megacorporations for their own gain, pocketing the cash and ignoring the collateral damage to society and environment.Though miracle advancements in medicine and welfare were made, the unchecked development spurred by the war with China led to widespread abuse of technology's potential. Bio-engineered plagues, FEV, and ever more destructive nuclear weapons were but a handful of horrors created by pre-War mankind. The Great War was a natural result of putting the implements of Apocalypse in the hands of mad men.

Society: The Brotherhood is a military order with a strictly enforced hierarchy and chain of command. The Brotherhood has several distinct classes that define a member's standing in the Brotherhood social structure, with a strict hierarchy distinguishing each member's position. The castes are as follows:

• Initiates are the youngest and/or least experienced members of the Brotherhood, whose sole purpose is training and learning to become a valued member of either the Knights or the Scribes.
• Scribes are scientists, responsible for researching and reverse-engineering recovered technologies, maintaining the Brotherhood's scientific knowledge, and even experimenting with new ones.
• Knights are the craftsmen and foot soldiers of the Brotherhood. They maintain the Brotherhood's stockpile of technology, repair and providing technical services where they are needed, as well as producing new weapons to replenish stocks and provide trading goods. Knights also perform patrols, scouting assignments, and support the Paladins in offensive operations.
• Paladins are the primary combat force of the Brotherhood, in charge of all security and outside activities. Equipped with the best military technology the Brotherhood has to offer, they are some of the most fearsome foes in the wasteland.
• Elders are the highest ranking members of the Brotherhood, its leaders and decision makers, determining everything from meals to the course of campaigns. Typically, only Paladins are eligible to become Elders.