Brotherhood of Steel
The Brotherhood of Steel was a military order that was founded in the final days of the old world. When a group of soldiers discovered that the Government was conducting testing on other soldiers, they defected, only for the world to end a mere 50 hours later. The Brotherhood, lead by Roger Maxson, went out into the wastes with their families, seeking refuge, and they eventually found an abandoned bunker in Lost Hills, and made it their home.
From the beginning, the BOS dedicated themselves to safeguarding technology. They new first hand what people did when they found something they couldn't control, and wanted to avoid another catastrophe, of any magnitude. They remained a secluded group until 2154, when they worked with the Vault Dweller to end the threat of the Super Mutants. Following this, the brotherhood began branching out, founding more chapters and inhabiting old bunkers and military sites. By the time of 2241, the Brotherhood was one of many factions throughout the Southwest, along with the New California Republic and the Enclave. The latter of which, the Brotherhood was at odds with frequently. As the remnants of the sinister government that the BOS broke away from, the Enclave conducted regular raids on their installations, and the Brotherhood returned in kind. Eventually, late in 2154, the NCR got involved as well, as the Enclave started to manipulate politics in the Republic's state of Reno. Both sides fought in regular precision strikes on one another, and the NCR, especially, the Rangers, learned a great deal from the Brotherhood. Additionally, the NCR Army got its first large scale operation experience against the Enclave, and this knowledge of fighting power armored troops would inevitably prove to be a fruitful lesson when they fought the Brotherhood fifteen years later. Eventually, in 2245, the Enclave would be beaten on the West Coast, and the remnants would flee east, across the Misipi.
While partnered with the NCR for the late 2240s and early 2250s, the Brotherhood saw a renaissance. They had become the "Knights in Shining Armor" of the wastes. Additionally, they were granted land by the NCR to found their own city, which they named Maxson. The brotherhood opened up tech partnerships with the NCR, took over research projects like at Vault 13, and even opened an embassy in Shady Sands. Together they made great strides in repairing the damage to the wasteland, until 2255, when the NCR began colonizing the Mojave Wasteland. The NCR had long since been expanding, but the aggressive nature in which they garrisoned the Mojave alarmed the Brotherhood, and they began lodging complaints from their embassy, all of which went unanswered by Wendell Peterson's administration.
After enduring this for months, the Brotherhood took action. They closed their embassy, terminated their partnerships, and no longer patrolled areas with the NCR Rangers. To the NCR leadership, this seemed to point to imminent hostilities, which responded with the cold shoulder. For the Brotherhood, this change in public view was negative; the NCR populace, through radio and newspaper, had the brotherhood portrayed as an opposition to their growth. Over the course of 2255, the BOS lost their status, and instead became seen as a nuisance, or even enemies. By the end of the year, the only city left to welcome them was their own, Maxson.
The Almost Cold War-Like state between the two boiled over into the NCR-Brotherhood War in 2256, when a group of NCR Rangers and Paladins fought over a claim on old military tech near Reno. The Rangers were forced out, and quickly relayed what happened to their superiors. When the NCR declared war on the Brotherhood, the Council of Elders misunderstood the very real threat that the Republic posed. The NCR had become a powerhouse in terms of size, and military and economic leverage, and the Brotherhood's tech would only get them so far. Facing a regular army of over 300,000 personnel, the BOS was fighting a losing battle. Inflicting lasting damage in the Battle of Necropolis and the Gold Raids, the Brotherhood forced the NCR to heavily rely on the Free Economic Zone of the Mojave's power and economic stability, a problem that plagued the NCR into the start of the 24th Century. Unfortunately, in 2265 and 2268 the Brotherhood lost both its nerve centers at Lost Hills and Maxson respectively. This proved to be the decisive turning point in the war, from then on the BOS lost the ability to wage open warfare. By 2275, the end of the war, the Brotherhood's isolated chapters and bunkers sat in the dark and radio silence, being destroyed one by one.
Structure
The Brotherhood was run by the High Elder, usually from the Maxson bloodline. They were assisted by the Council of Elders, essentially, the elders of each chapter and bunker. These elders would be assisted by Sentinels, the lead soldier of the bunker. They would also be assisted by the Head Scribe, who was the lead researcher, archiver, and internal affairs charge. Each of these leads would have their own separate branches of the bunker to lead, the arms branch, lead by the Sentinel, would be in charge of all things warfare and operations. Beneath the Sentinel would be the Star Paladins, Paladins who had served with distinction, and earned a special place above their peers. Paladin are soldiers who would lead missions, or squads, essentially a mix between officer and NCO. These paladins would be pulled from Knights, the foot soldiers of the Brotherhood. As for the Intel Branch led by the Head Scribe, they would be helped by Scribes. Scribes were responsible for archiving events and tech, repairing equipment, researching tech, and maintaining the Bunker. Squires, or children born into the Brotherhood, would learn basic curriculum until they turned 12, and hey then chose or tested into one of the branches, and began learning until they were sixteen, when they achieved the rank of Scribe, or Knight.
Public Agenda
The Brotherhood's agenda was to seek out old bits of Pre-War tech, and safeguard it. Hopefully this mission would help keep the technology that destroyed the world in check.
Assets
The Brotherhood used Power Armor for its knights and paladins, and equipped their troops with energy weapons, making them dangerous foes.
Disbandment
The Brotherhood of Steel was officially destroyed by the NCR in 2275.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
Ad Victoriam
2077 - 2275
Type
Military Order
Alternative Names
the Brotherhood, Bucket Heads, BOS
Successor Organizations
Leader
Government System
Stratocracy
Location
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Comments