The Knights of San Fernando are a chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel, active on the West Coast in 2296. Led by Elder Cleric Quintus, the chapter emphasizes the Brotherhood's quasi-religious beliefs and aesthetics with a strong presence of clerics in their ranks and adhere zealously to Brotherhood dogma to enact change in the wasteland. They appear in season 1 and season 2 of the Fallout TV series.
Background[]
By 2296, the Knights of San Fernando have a significant presence on the West Coast, making their base at a pre-War airfield in the region. By that year, the chapter's leadership is held by Elder Cleric Quintus, who is also assisted by various clerics and support personnel, such as Cleric Felix and Petty Officer Shortsight. Quintus believes the present-day Brotherhood has stagnated and lost its way, with his personal philosophy being that power is taken rather than given. Through his command of the San Fernando chapter, he plans to reform the organization and create a new Brotherhood as the dominant power in the wasteland, as it once was decades prior.[1]
In 2283, a knight from the chapter wearing T-60 power armor was operating close to the NCR capital of Shady Sands when it was destroyed by a nuclear detonation orchestrated by Hank MacLean. Investigating the city ruins, the knight discovered a survivor: a boy placed inside a milk vending machine by his parents before the blast. The orphaned child came to admire and idolize the knight for their actions in finding and saving him. He was later adopted into the San Fernando chapter and given the name "Maximus" as an aspirant.
In the TV series[]
Manhunt in New California[]
In 2296, a Prydwen-class airship traveled to the West Coast and docked at the airfield occupied by the Knights, delivering orders from the Commonwealth chapter tasking them with tracking down the escaped Enclave defector Siggi Wilzig;[2] the Brotherhood sought after a piece of technology Wilzig possessed, later revealed to be a diode capable of generating cold fusion and providing unlimited power.[3] Among the San Fernando chapter's aspirants, Dane was initially promoted as a squire in service under Knight Titus, but suffered a crippling injury beforehand that ultimately resulted in Maximus taking their place and traveling with Titus into the Wilds to find their target. After Titus' death from wounds sustained by a yao guai attack, Maximus assumed his identity to continue the mission alone but was later forced to continue the ruse while accompanied by Thaddeus as his squire. After Thaddeus discovered Maximus' trickery, he abandoned the renegade squire and attempted to complete the mission himself but was forced to relinquish the artifact to Maximus and abandon the Brotherhood once he began suffering ghoulification, fearing summary execution if he tried to return.
A knight and NCR soldier engaged in combat during the Battle of the Griffith Observatory
The hunt for the cold fusion device led to the renewal of old hostilities as the San Fernando chapter found themselves opposed by a large presence of the New California Republic that had assembled under the leadership of Lee Moldaver after the destruction of Shady Sands, who were trying to get the technology to restore power to the ruins. To prepare for their assault on the NCR headquarters, the chapter's forces mobilized and took over the settlement of Filly as an outpost, subsequently deploying from there to Griffith Observatory. Though they suffered multiple casualties both from the NCR resistance and the interference of the Ghoul, the ensuing battle ended with the Brotherhood's victory and the death of Moldaver, allowing them to secure the cold fusion reactor as well as control of the city powered by it.[4][5]
Civil war[]
His chapter's acquisition of the cold fusion technology served as the turning point that Quintus hoped for, as he began pushing forward plans to break away from the dominance of the Commonwealth chapter and shift the balance of power within the wider Brotherhood back to the West Coast. On the elder cleric's orders, the San Fernando chapter mobilized to uncover and claim the pre-War military facilities at Area 51 in the Mojave Wasteland as a new base of operations, transporting the cold fusion generator there as well. Quintus then reached out to other Brotherhood chapters around the West Coast, looking for allies for his rebellion. The forces of the Grand Canyon, Coronado, and Yosemite chapters traveled to Area 51 onboard their own airships, where Quintus' offer of a renewable supply of fusion cores via the cold fusion device convinced them to cut ties with the Commonwealth and give him their support. However, Paladin Xander Harkness' arrival from the Commonwealth and revealing that they knew about the West Coast elders' planned insurrection complicated matters.[6]
Within a short time of Harkness' arrival, the Yosemite elder, fearing reprisal from the Commonwealth, abandoned the alliance and tried to distance herself from Quintus' plans, warning him to give up the cold fusion relic or face their wrath despite the elder cleric's insistence that they still had a chance to succeed. Unbeknownst to Quintus and the San Fernando chapter, Harkness' arrival was two-fold as he sought to prevent the rebellion as well as to obtain the relic in order to prevent the Commonwealth chapter's collapse, who themselves had been weakened over time. The paladin swayed Maximus to accompany him on a scouting mission where he revealed this fact shortly before they located an old bottling factory emitting power signatures. Harkness was later killed when Maximus crushed his head with a super sledge to prevent him from killing the mutated Thaddeus and a group of ghoul children living there, ensuring that war with the Commonwealth was inevitable.[7]
Making up his mind, Maximus decided that the only way to avoid conflict was to kill Elder Cleric Quintus, even though he personally saw the elder cleric as a father figure. To buy time, he had Thaddeus come with him to Area 51, dressed in Harkness' power armor to disguise himself as the paladin. At Area 51, he recruited Dane to his cause, asking Dane to protect the aspirants; while Maximus left to confront Quintus, Dane brought a group of aspirants to a safe room and then stole the cold fusion diode from the reactor in the central hangar. Meanwhile, Maximus' turmoil left him unable to kill Quintus, and he ended up revealing the truth behind Harkness' death, causing Quintus to decry him as a heretic and attack. Maximus left, neutralizing Quintus by locking him in his office. Around this time, the other chapters discovered the theft of the cold fusion device, causing the four chapters at Area 51 to devolve in a full-on conflict, with one chapter's airship crashing in the ensuing battle. Dane gave the cold fusion device to Maximus, who then fled into the desert alongside Thaddeus.[8]
Organization[]
Interactions with other groups[]
The Knights of San Fernando's policy towards mutants is more extreme than other Brotherhood chapters seen in the past. The chapter has a policy of shooting ghouls on sight, even non-feral ones, as they are seen as abominations that must be put down. While not all members may fully agree, this practice is drilled into them as the first rule of the order, and those who do not comply are viewed as heretics.[9][10][11][12] This practice is not limited to the San Fernando chapter, and it seems to now be ingrained within the wider Brotherhood, as Xander Harkness of the Commonwealth chapter states that this practice comes straight from the Codex.[13]
The Knights of San Fernando also act forcefully against other parties in the wasteland, and at least some of its members seem to enjoy this. They forcefully occupy the town of Filly despite its neutrality, suppressing its residents' resistance,[14] and then burn down the town when they leave.[15]
Religion[]
Maximus' promotion ceremony
A cleric chanting in an execution
The Knights of San Fernando seem to view the Brotherhood as divinely just in its founding: Elder Cleric Quintus states that the founder Roger Maxson rebelled at Mariposa Military Base because he chose "his God" over the government, and that he was "saved" for doing so. They extend this belief to their wider mission and their view of how the Brotherhood should function, even if it means going to war with others in their organization.[16]
These religious trappings carry over into various rituals and ceremonies carried out by the chapter's clerics, which are adhered to by the other members of the chapter. These include promotions: as seen with Maximus in "The End," new squires are put under oath in a public ceremony by clerics and branded by a hot iron with the initials of the knight they sworn to serve, while clerics brush them in an X pattern starting from their shoulders. The whole ceremony takes place in front of not only the elder cleric but also a plane motor (visibly used as an religious idol) surrounded by lit-up candles.
Executions also seem to be performed ritually. In "The Beginning," when Quintus orders for Maximus to be executed for faking having Wilzig's head, clerics are seen chanting in an unknown language (possibly Latin) and waving their brush towards the condemned while knights prepare the gunshot execution.
Clerics also carry censers for seemingly ritual purposes; one cleric is seen waving a censer in front of the power armored knights before the manunt for Wilzig takes place, and another cleric is seen inspecting a statue in Area 51 by waving a censer in front of it.
Ranks[]
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Unlike other Brotherhood chapters, the Knights of San Fernando are led by a leadership caste of clerics under the elder cleric. In addition to their leadership, these clerics occupy ceremonial and clerical roles within the chapter, including serving as teachers to aspirants and being responsible for inspecting newly-discovered technologies.
Technology[]
The Knights of San Fernando possess some forms of artillery. Members can be seen transporting artillery shells via wheel barrow at a Brotherhood airbase in New California, a substantial stockpile of shells can also be seen next to a storage shed.[3] They also designed an instrument that was able to track radiation signatures.[9] By 2296, the Brotherhood's manufacturing had turned the Prydwen into an airship class of her own, with the organization creating several sister vessels over a 9-year period. During 2296, a large fleet consisting of at least four Prydwen-class airships were present for hostilities in New California among the Knights of San Fernando.[17] The Knights of San Fernando's power armor suits seem to possess jet packs.[18]
Known members[]
Named[]
Unnamed[]
Notes[]
- The name of this Brotherhood chapter is never directly stated in the TV series' first season. It was first confirmed in an interview with Jonathan Nolan, prior to the release of season two, in which Nolan says:
- The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized region north of Los Angeles.
- How the Knights of San Fernando interact with the founding Lost Hills chapter of the Brotherhood, who are also situated in New California, is unknown, though the Lost Hills chapter (or at least the "West Coast") is stated to still be active as of 2287, with Elder Arthur Maxson of the Commonwealth chapter having been reported as receiving "the full support of the Elders back on the West Coast."[20] Furthermore, the Knights of San Fernando were shown to interact with a Prydwen-class airship in the TV series' first season.
- On Prime Video, the character overview page for the Fallout TV series calls Thaddeus and Dane Initiates of the Brotherhood rather than aspirants (Thaddeus in the overviews for both season 1 and season 2, and Dane in the overview for season 1).[21][22][23] However, there is no other mention of the term "initiate" anywhere else in the series, nor in the script for "The End," where all of the relevant characters are called aspirants instead.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Elder Cleric Quintus: "The Brotherhood has lost its way. We once ruled the Wasteland... And yet power is taken, not given. A lesson you seem to have learned. So, if what you say is true, and you can lead us to the relic, then together, you and I, we will take power. And with it... we will start a new Brotherhood. With me as its head, and the likes of you as its sword. Your entire life, you've been looking for a home. Build one with me."
(Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 8: "The Beginning") - ↑ Elder Cleric Quintus: "Our mission comes from the highest clerics in the Commonwealth. It is believed that a denizen of the Enclave has escaped… And that he has with him an object… of profound potential… to harm our nation or to save it."
(Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 1: "The End") - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 1: "The End"
- ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 8: "The Beginning"
- ↑ IGN: "The Big Fallout Interview: Todd Howard and Jonathan Nolan Answer Our Burning Questions About Season 1"
- ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 2: "The Golden Rule"
- ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 3: "The Profligate"
- ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 4: "The Demon in the Snow"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 3: "The Head"
- ↑ Maximus: "The Brotherhood."
Thaddeus: "Oh, fuck. Shit. Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck. They'll kill me if they find out."
Lucy MacLean: "What? This-this is good, no? The Brotherhood is the good guys?"
Thaddeus: "Uh, it's a complicated organization."
(Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 7: "The Radio") - ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 3: "The Profligate"
- ↑ Elder Cleric Quintus: "Tell me what happened."
Maximus: "I killed Xander because he was gonna kill some kids. They were ghouls. Young ghouls."
Elder Cleric Quintus: "Wh- What? No."
Maximus: "I mean, they were fucking kids."
Elder Cleric Quintus: "No, no."
Maximus: "He was gonna kill them, and I couldn't let him do it."
Elder Cleric Quintus: "Abominations! Abominations!"
Maximus: "Children!"
Elder Cleric Quintus: "Ghouls! To be exterminated!"
Maximus: "I know."
Elder Cleric Quintus: "First rule of our order. Oh, this is my fault. I should never, never have shown mercy to you. Never. Never! [...] Heretic!"
(Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 4: "The Demon in the Snow") - ↑ Thaddeus: "Hi! Hello! Oh, if I may. I'm the manager here, and, uh, I just ask you... please don't do what you're about to do. I know I don't have a lot of leverage here or anything, but, you know, they're just... they're just kids."
Xander Harkness: "They're not kids. They're abominations. And so are you."
Maximus: "But they are kids. Xander. Xander, come on, man, we don't... Please, Xander, please stop!"
Xander Harkness: "The Codex is clear on this. And without the rules, where are we?"
(Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 3: "The Profligate") - ↑ Brotherhood officer: "Filly clear for landing. The locals put up a fight, but so did we. [laughs]"
(Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 8: "The Beginning") - ↑ Norm MacLean: "So you met my sister?"
Ma June: "Yeah, back in Filly. Before the Brotherhood of Steel burnt it down. Had her help a fella from the Enclave get through the Shithole to some folks from the NCR who weren't in town when Shady Sands blew up. Pretty slim odds. What with it being Khan country."
(Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 5: "The Wrangler") - ↑ Yosemite elder: "I'm not interested in fighting a rebellion, Quintus."
Elder Cleric Quintus: "But the Brotherhood began as an act of rebellion. Before the war, an ordinary captain was sent to a research center in California. Roger Maxson. And when he saw what they were doing there... depraved experiments on human subjects, well, then, Roger Maxson had to ask himself, who did he serve? His God? Or his government? He chose his God. He shot the scientists. He shot the people who tried to stop him. His government had defied God, and for that, he defied his government. But he wasn't punished. He was saved. So that he could found our noble order. If our rebellion is righteous... the way will be paved for us."
(Fallout TV series, Season 2, Episode 3: "The Profligate") - ↑ Four Brotherhood airships present during the Fallout season 2 teaser trailer
- ↑ Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 2: "The Target"
- ↑ "Fallout Season 2 Exec Producers on New Vegas Factions, Deathclaws & Mr. House"
- ↑ The Prydwen terminal entries; Proctor Quinlan's terminal, The Rise of Elder Maxson
- ↑ Fallout season 1 Amazon overview; Thaddeus: An Initiate of the Brotherhood of Steel and a consummate bully, Thaddeus takes advantage of Maximus’s perceived weakness and uses him as a means to build up his own confidence and perceived toughness.
- ↑ Fallout season 2 Amazon overview; Thaddeus: Once an Initiate of the Brotherhood of Steel and a bully with his sights set on Maximus, Thaddeus has since undergone some serious transformation (both figuratively and LITERALLY).
- ↑ Fallout season 1 Amazon overview; Dane: Dane is a confident and eager Initiate of the Brotherhood of Steel, and Maximus’s closest peer. They believe in the mission of the Brotherhood and dream of one day suiting up as a Knight.
