Sergeant Bitter-Root is a First Recon sniper in the New California Republic Army in Fallout: New Vegas. He is currently stationed with the rest of his team at Camp McCarran in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.
Background[]
Born to Great Khan parents, he experienced a traumatic childhood marked by neglect and abuse. His father, an alcoholic, engaged in sadistic acts, teaching Bitter-Root to shoot at age three by targeting New California Republic military personnel and civilians. His mother, a chem addict, attempted multiple times to sell him into slavery to fund her Jet addiction, contributing to his deep resentment toward his parents and the Khans.[5][6]
In 2278, NCR Army troopers and First Recon sharpshooters retaliated against the Great Khans' string of raids on Republic settlements by attacking the tribe's main settlement of Bitter Springs, an event that later came to be known as the Bitter Springs Massacre. While Bitter-Root outwardly claims he does not remember anything about the mass slaughter of his former tribesmen, he personally admits that the blood he was covered with when he was found and brought to then-Captain Dhatri (who later adopted him as his own son[3][4]) was not entirely caused by them; it is implied he may have seized the opportunity to settle some of his own scores -- including possibly killing his own parents.[7]
Despite the loss of many friends and family, Bitter-Root bears no ill will for the NCR over the events of Bitter Springs. Instead, he views it as due course for what he perceives as the Great Khans' many sins; in his eyes, the tribe had long ago devolved into "lazy, trumped-up raiders" whose only claim to relevance was their drug-running, blithely remarking that anything they did not sell, they used themselves, further separating their reality from their self-proclaimed "greatness."[8][9]
Though his hatred for the Great Khans remains strong, Bitter-Root still holds onto a piece of their warrior culture: upon reaching the age of adulthood, a prospective member is severely beaten by others as a rite of passage;[10] should they survive the painful "ritual," they were allowed to choose their own name. While at the time too young to undergo the beat-down himself, once he was brought under Dhatri's care, he chose his name of "Bitter-Root," feeling that Bitter Springs was his "beat-down" and that the Great Khans "owed" him his name for everything in his childhood. The man says that his choice also carries a double meaning, referring both to his bitter roots raised as a Great Khan and to the traumatic event that changed his life - the Bitter Springs Massacre.[11]
Over a lifetime battling against the weight of his traumatic childhood, Bitter-Root admits that he could not find solace until his adoptive father eventually convinced him to seek therapy with Doctor Usanagi of the Followers of the Apocalypse at her medical clinic during his tour of duty stationed to Camp McCarran in the Mojave Wasteland. With Usanagi's assistance, Bitter-Root was able to work through some of his demons.[12][13] As a part of the elite First Recon sharpshooters, he believes the best part of his job is shooting those who deserve it.[14] Even with psychiatric help, however, he is not very friendly and does not like to talk at length, but will admit that he does not "mean anything by it," and that it is only his nature.[15]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
  |
This character is involved in quests. | |
Quests[]
- I Don't Hurt Anymore: If the Courier cannot pass the skill check to convince Cpl. Betsy to seek psychiatric help, Lt. Gorobets will suggest talking to either Bitter-Root or 10 of Spades to get their help with convincing her.
- Three-Card Bounty: The Courier has the option of asking Alpha Team to help them take out Driver Nephi for the bounty on the Fiend leader's head.
- I Forgot to Remember to Forget: A hidden requirement of triggering Boone's companion quest is learning about the Bitter Springs Massacre; Bitter-Root is one of the NPCs that can reveal details about it and trigger the completion flag.
Effects of player's actions[]
Upon turning in Driver Nephi's head to Dhatri during Three-Card Bounty, he will send Alpha Team to Camp Forlorn Hope to assist in the ground war against Caesar's Legion in Nelson; Bitter-Root can then be found in the Camp Forlorn Hope barracks.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items | On death |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCR armor 1st Recon beret |
Hunting rifle |
Notes[]
While residing at Camp McCarran, Sergeant Bitter-Root is the only member of First Recon that actually lays down on a bed and sleeps at night; the others simply stand or sit around.
Notable quotes[]
- "I figured I grew up around the bastards... they owed me a name, after all they put me through."
- "I like to keep things simple. Just focus on now. That's why they made me a sniper. You let your mind wander back a ways, and you lose sight of what's in front of your eyes. Good way to miss a mark."
- "Could be that NCR found some blood on me, and none of it mine. Could be that a few of those Khans didn't die from NCR bullets."
Appearances[]
Sergeant Bitter-Root appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.
Behind the scenes[]
Bitter-Root was designed by additional writer George Ziets, who also wrote for the other members of First Recon.[Non-game 1]
References[]
- ↑ The Courier: "I didn't mean to offend. You don't have to tell me, if you'd rather not."
Bitter-Root: "[SUCCEEDED] It's a Khan name. You know... the 'Great Khans.' That's what my parents were. I figured I grew up around the bastards... they owed me a name, after all they put me through."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ Bitter-Root: "I'm Bitter-Root. First Recon. You got a reason to talk to me?"
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Courier: "Where can I find some work around here?"
Bitter-Root: "You a merc? Then I guess you'd want to talk to my, uh... father. Major Dhatri. He's our CO."
The Courier: "Your father is your commanding officer? Is that allowed?"
Bitter-Root: "Yeah, look... he's not my real father. He just looked after me, for a while. It's a long story. And I'd get tired of talking before it was through."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Courier: "I heard you're Bitter-Root's father."
Dhatri: "Adoptive father, yes. I was very proud when he made First Recon. I know that every time I send them out, I could be sending him to his death. But, if it's not me, it'll be somebody else. At least this way I get one more chance to see him."
(Dhatri's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Losing your parents must have been hard for you. I'm sorry."
Bitter-Root: "You're sorry? Well, that makes one of us. Bitter Springs was the best thing that ever happened to me. Best thing that ever happened to my parents, too. They were as bad as the rest. Worse, maybe."
The Courier: "You don't really mean that, do you?"
Bitter-Root: "Don't I? Mister, you never met my parents./Don't I? Beg pardon, ma'am, but you never met my parents. My dad, he got himself fucked up, every chance he got. Always started with folk for no reason. Hell, he was the one who taught me to shoot. You know how? By taking potshots at NCR. And not just soldiers. Civilians, too. Even kids. Then he'd get high with his buddies and swap tales about the folk they killed. Bunch of animals. And my mom... couple times she tried to sell me to some waster, just to score some Jet. Even the other Khans said she was useless. Only reason they kept her around was because she was a... how'd my dad say it... 'a smokin' piece of ass.'"
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What happened to your parents?"
Bitter-Root: "They're dead. Got themselves killed at Bitter Springs. Served them right, if you ask me."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "How did you survive the massacre?"
Bitter-Root: "Guess I could tell a pretty good story, if I had a mind. But the truth is, I don't know. Just got lucky. They brought me to Dhatri after the battle. He was just a Captain, back then. Guess he saw something in me... knew I didn't belong with the Khans. Maybe he felt bad, too. About how his men killed my folks. I told him he did me a service, but he didn't believe me. Still doesn't. He's a good man, Dhatri. Doesn't act like it sometimes, I know. But he didn't have to take me in."
The Courier: "You're not telling me something. You couldn't have forgotten the whole massacre."
Bitter-Root: "It's like I tell Major Dhatri. Best not look under a rock, if you don't really want to know what's there. Could be that NCR found some blood on me, and none of it mine. Could be that a few of those Khans didn't die from NCR bullets. I had scores of my own to settle... deeper ones than NCR ever had. Don't bother asking who they were with."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) Note: The script notes for the last line read as follows: player is getting into dangerous - and deeply hidden - territory. Might have been his own parents that he killed. - ↑ The Courier: "What do you know about the Great Khans?"
Bitter-Root: "They're scum. Lazy, trumped-up Raiders. Most of the time, they're drunk or high, and when they're not shooting chems, they're selling them. Used to have a settlement up at Bitter Springs, 'til they pissed off NCR and got slaughtered for their trouble. Lot of us got killed at Bitter Springs. Lot of them, I mean. My parents died, too."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Tell me about happened to them at Bitter Springs."
Bitter-Root: "It was massacre. That's what a lot of NCR folk will tell you. Most of them feel plenty bad about what happened. But I was there. Saw it myself. I don't care what anybody says. The Khans asked for Bitter Springs. They wouldn't leave the NCR be. My damn parents, too. They were just as bad as the rest."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What are you doing?"
Jerry the Punk: "Oh, nothing really. Just trying to psych myself up to try my initiation. Again. Raaaar!"
The Courier: "What is this initiation?"
Jerry the Punk: "Everybody has to do it. Well, everybody who wants to be a Khan, anyways. They toss you into the ring there and beat on you for a solid minute. If you survive, you're in."
(Jerry the Punk's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "So your name... it comes from Bitter Springs."
Bitter-Root: "In the Khans, you're not fully grown 'til you've taken a beat-down. Everybody gathers round and hits you until you're damn near dead. After that - if you haven't begged for mercy - you get to choose a new name. One you'll use for the rest of your life. When NCR slaughtered the Khans at Bitter Springs, I hadn't got my beat-down yet. I was still too young. Way I see it, Bitter Springs was my beat-down. So afterward... I gave myself a name. It's all I've got from the Khans, and it's all I ever want."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I'm trying to get Corporal Betsy to go see a doctor. I heard you saw Usanagi yourself."
Bitter-Root: "10 of Spades really ought to keep his mouth shut, but he's right. There were a lot of things in my past I just couldn't leave behind. It helped. A little. Well, more than a little. Betsy ought to pay a visit to Usanagi since it can't hurt none."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "I'm trying to convince Corporal Betsy to go see a doctor. Any ideas?"
10 of Spades: "Oh, b-b-because of what that fuck Cook-Cook did? W-well, it's n-not the same thing, but D-Doc Usanagi helped me with my s-s-stuttering. The d-doc has a c-clinic north of here. Can't m-m-miss it. You should t-talk to Bitter-Root, too. He's b-been to see the doc, too."
(10 of Spades' dialogue) - ↑ Bitter-Root: "That's one less drugged-out waster. Best part of this job - shooting folks who deserve it."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "Not too friendly, are you?"
Bitter-Root: "Guess not. I don't mean nothing by it. You really want to talk to somebody, try 10 of Spades. He's always got plenty to say."
(Bitter-Root's dialogue)
Non-game
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