“Tensions continue to mount between the courageous forces of the Brotherhood of Steel and their estranged brethren, the Outcasts. Now, normally, family squabbles are none of my business. But when the Outcasts decide to take pot shots at my building which the Brotherhood uses as an outpost I make an exception. So, Brotherhood Outcasts knock it off! I'd prefer not to get murdered in my own backyard. The rest of you Brotherhood cats can't you extend an olive branch or something? You'd think fighting the Super Mutants would be enough...”— Three Dog, Galaxy News Radio
In 2254,[3] the Brotherhood's elder council, based in the Lost Hills bunker in New California, decided to send a expedition to the East Coast. The expedition's primary objective was to recover any and all advanced or vital technology from East Coast cities and bases.[4][5][6] Secondly, they were to attempt to make contact with the "Eastern Brotherhood" that had fallen out of contact some time ago.[Non-game 1] The contingent was placed under the command of Star PaladinOwyn Lyons,[Non-game 2] accompanied by head technological advisor Senior Scribe Reginald Rothchild, as well as several veteran members of the Brotherhood, including paladins Henry Casdin and Tristan.
The Citadel
After traveling across the continent, the expedition had little success in contacting the Eastern Brotherhood. In 2255, Lyons' group arrived in the Capital Wasteland, establishing a base of operations within the Pentagon in the first few months.[7] Though the Pentagon was partially destroyed, its sublevels remained, for the most part, intact, and its surviving stockpiles contained undisturbed pre-war technology and weaponry to sustain their operations. Their most significant find was Liberty Prime, an unfinished pre-War prototype large-scale combat robot.[5] Following the discovery of Liberty Prime, Star Paladin Lyons received a new directive from his superiors in Lost Hills to establish a permanent Brotherhood presence in the Capital Wasteland, and continue the search for any other advanced technology hidden in the former capital's ruins.[Non-game 3] This expedition became the permanent Capital Wasteland chapter of the Brotherhood, led by the newly-promoted Elder Lyons.
Change in priorities[]
After entering the region, the Brotherhood started to notice the large presence of super mutants, which deeply disturbed them. They quickly realized that these were a new breed of super mutant, not part of the ones who had fled east following the defeat of the Master's Army in 2161, and that they posed a dire threat to the region and its inhabitants. As such, around 2257, the Capital Wasteland chapter under Lyons launched a eradication campaign against the mutants.[8] This was conducted with the goal of protecting civilians, but also to find and eliminate the source of the mutants.[5][Non-game 1][Non-game 3]
During the early years of the chapter's presence in the region, the Brotherhood still dedicated substantial resources to exploration of the area and the search of technology. They surveyed as far as the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they carried out "The Scourge," a purge that wiped out most of the city's population.[Non-game 2] Over the years, Brotherhood patrols explored areas such as the Museum of Technology and the exterior of Vault 87 (never finding a way to bypass the high radiation near its entrance).[9][10] They were also involved with Project Purity from 2257 until its collapse in 2258, although this was also a humanitarian mission rather than part of the original agenda.[11][12]
However, as time went on, the chapter gradually strayed away from their original mission. Elder Lyons' desire to help the people of the Capital Wasteland ensured that the mutant conflict became the detachment's main focus.[5] Over two decades, technological recovery all but halted as resources were funneled towards the extermination campaign. The Brotherhood's presence across the wasteland, once stretching as far as the MDPL mass relay station up the Potomac River and to communities such as Megaton in post-War northern Virginia, began to shrink.[5][13][Non-game 4]
Over the years, Elder Lyons also lied to the West Coast elders, convincing them to send reinforcements and supplies by claiming to keep tech recovery as his top priority while in reality, his orders were to prioritize saving people through the conflict against the super mutants. However, the lie eventually fell apart. Things came to a head when Lyons outright refused to follow a direct order from the elder council. In response, the West Coast shut off communications, effectively denying any further reinforcements or supplies. By 2276, communications between Lyons' Brotherhood and Lost Hills had completely ceased.[14] Now cut off and fighting a major conflict for the past 20-years, Lyons' Brotherhood started to wane in influence. The conflict with the mutants dragged on, straining resources while failing to make significant progress.[12] Lyons' men continued to stick with him and follow his orders, primarily out of the doctrine of loyalty the Brotherhood taught them from birth.[15] However, this had its limits, and eventually led to the single most devastating blow Lyons' Brotherhood would receive in its short history: the schism.
Events[]
Internal dissent and separation[]
Unable to deal with Lyons' abandonment of the Brotherhood's mission, some members began to hold disdain towards the elder. These members had become dissatisfied with Lyons' desire to save the Capital Wasteland's inhabitants without showing any sign of winning the war. They adamantly believed the organization did have a responsibility to discover and destroy the mutant source, but not so much as to abandon the "greater" original mission of recovering technology.[Non-game 5] In their eyes, Elder Lyons had "gone native," saving individual communities at the cost of their fellow soldiers' lives and the abandonment of the Brotherhood's greater-scope ideals of preserving civilization.[16][17] To some, the greater issue was that they did not see the "backwards locals" and "illiterate communities" as deserving of salvation to begin with;[18] to others, the simple fact that Lyons was disobeying the original orders was enough.[19] The dissenters included Paladin Henry Casdin, who was well-respected as one of Elder Lyons' original squadmates and known to be highly loyal to the Brotherhood.[20][21]
The situation gradually worsened, finally reaching a boiling point in 2276,[1] when Elder Lyons ignored the dissenters' requests to recover tech from the science lab of the pre-War military base Fort Independence.[22] This incident spiralled into a series of physical altercations between the two now-divided factions. Rallying behind Paladin Casdin,[21] the dissenters abandoned Lyons' command and left the Citadel, taking a sizable portion of its weapons and equipment stockpiles with them. Overnight, Lyons lost more soldiers to the schism than he did over the 23 years of fighting the mutants and other threats.[21] The loss of men and materiel had a significant negative impact on the combat performance of Lyons' chapter, as the Outcasts stole a great deal of essential supplies, and the resulting shortage of spare parts reduced Lyons' forces' abilities in their campaign against the mutants and other threats.[23][Non-game 5]
In his capacity as elder, Lyons judged the separatists and struck their names from the Codex as deserters.[24] He also passed a prohibition on any mention of their names at the Citadel, refusing to discuss them or their fate.[23] Lyons, for his part, openly acknowledged that he was pursuing his own goals at the cost of the Brotherhood's mission; he respected that the separatists' decision was done out of dedication to the wider Brotherhood's goals, but viewed their adherence to dogma as callousness.[17][25]
Establishment of the Outcasts[]
Under former Paladin Casdin's command, the Brotherhood separatists seized Fort Independence, claiming it as their main headquarters and setting up for a long-term defense against the raiders occupying the nearby Fairfax ruins.[26] Called "Outcasts" by their angered former brothers and sisters, the renegade soldiers adopted this name as a badge of honor.[27] This was because the Outcasts saw themselves as the true Brotherhood of Steel, and considered Lyons and his followers guilty of abandoning the principles the Brotherhood stood for. In the near term, their plan was to continue the mission of recovering technology in the Capital Wasteland where Lyons would not. To better carry this out and to distinguish themselves from Lyons' forces, the Outcasts painted their armor red and black, abandoned the Brotherhood's traditional titles for a new ranking system, and adopted a more decentralized hierarchy.
The Outcasts on patrol
Decentralization was to allow for the Outcasts to disperse across the region in search of technology. By 2277, this meant that only a skeleton crew of Outcasts was left at Fort Independence.[28] A second large group had left to establish a technological recovery outpost at the Virtual Strategic Solutions Facility in Bailey's Crossroads,[29] while most of the others were small patrols scouring the region. These patrols did cover the whole region, regularly in the vicinity of technological or military hubs such as Fort Constantine, the National Guard depot in D.C., the Wheaton Armory, and the region's Vaults.[30]
In the long term, the Outcasts planned to get the last word over Lyons by regaining contact with the West Coast Brotherhood and then reporting Lyons' disobedience to them. While this may have involved long-distance communication, it may also have not: according to Defender Anne Marie Morgan, one of Casdin's direct subordinates, the plan was for the Outcasts to regroup after finishing the technology retrieval mission and then physically return west.[27][28] The Outcasts believed that the West Coast Brotherhood would ultimately bring Lyons to justice, even if capital punishment was needed, and reverse their removal from the Codex, vindicating their actions in the Brotherhood's annals.[4][24]
Tensions and skirmishes[]
Despite their antagonism, as of 2277, both Lyons' Brotherhood and the Outcasts chose to largely ignore each other's presence and avoid major military action against each other. For the Brotherhood, this was because Elder Lyons himself did not desire conflict with the Outcasts, and he consistently shut down any arguments for doing so brought by his loyalists, including even his daughter, Sentinel Sarah Lyons.[31]
However, situations in the field were more tense, and Outcast patrols and Brotherhood patrols would regularly enter combat if they encountered each other in the wasteland, though this may have been rare.[32] The skirmishes extended to Brotherhood outposts such as the GNR building plaza, which earned both sides the ire of the building's owner Three Dog, who openly called for peace between the factions on his radio station (or at least to stop fighting in his "own backyard").[33]
Meanwhile, internal opinions were also divided on both sides. While many of Lyons' followers were strict loyalists who viewed the Outcasts even more harshly than Lyons himself ever did, others were not.[31] Some, like Knight Artemis and Scribe Rothchild, were more sympathetic to the Outcasts, whether because the realities of Elder Lyons' humanitarian mission were wearing them down in general or because they understood Elder Lyons was violating the Brotherhood hierarchy. The wounds were made worse by the fact that many of the Outcasts were once friends or even family.[34] Over time, pessimism and wavering faith led some of Lyons' forces to openly question their allegiance, if not end up deserting and joining the Outcasts themselves.[35][36][37] Similar disarray occurred among at least some of the Outcasts: the members of Protector McGraw's group at the VSS Facility had little faith in their leader, and some floated the idea of deserting the Outcasts as well, whether returning to Lyons' forces or the Brotherhood in the west, going independent, or even joining a group like Talon Company.[38]
Overall, the two factions remained focused on their own missions. The Brotherhood's war with the super mutants and other wasteland hostiles continued, complicated by the reemergence of the Enclave and the subsequent Brotherhood-Enclave War. Ironically, this war actually brought Lyons' Brotherhood back towards their original goals due to the need for more advanced technology to counter the Enclave.[39] The Outcasts were not a proactive part of these conflicts, but they did engage incidentally encountered hostiles in the wasteland or at sites they were investigating, as well as in defensive operations, such as against the raiders of the Fairfax ruins or the super mutants at Bailey's Crossroads.[26]
Outcome[]
Sometime prior to October 2279, following the end of the Brotherhood-Enclave War, Owyn Lyons passed away. His daughter Sarah was appointed elder in his stead, but fell in battle a short time later. Following this, the leadership of the Capital Wasteland chapter bounced from one incompetent elder to another, weakening an already battle-weary chapter. It was not until 2282 that a now battle-hardened Arthur Maxson stopped a reformation of the Capital Wasteland's super mutants by defeating their leader, Shepherd. News of Arthur Maxson's victory eventually reached the West Coast Brotherhood, who recognized that he had become a suitable contender to reunite and lead the fragmented East Coast Brotherhood.[2]
Arthur Maxson reunified the Brotherhood, ending the schism.
The Outcasts never ended up leaving the Capital Wasteland like they had planned, and up to this point they continued to struggle to survive in the region. Though some within the Brotherhood still despised the Outcasts, a growing number favored reunification, since the Outcasts were trained and well-indoctrinated Brotherhood soldiers apart from their ideological differences. In 2283, just a year after his victory over Shepherd, Arthur Maxson brokered a peace between the Capital Wasteland chapter and the Outcasts, reuniting the splintered Brotherhood of Steel forces into a single chapter once again.[2]
For bringing a end to the civil war, Arthur Maxson, aged 16, was promoted to the elder of the reunited chapter, becoming the youngest to ever receive the rank in Brotherhood history.[2] Under Maxson, the chapter's priorities returned to policing unchecked science and technology and pacifying related threats, rather than offering charity as a main concern. However, Maxson's reunified Brotherhood still kept many of the public-oriented policies taken by Lyons, including greater public messaging, open recruitment from wasteland populations, distribution (or sale) of water from Project Purity, and combat operations against wasteland threats to protect humanity.[40]
Notes[]
In Fallout: New Vegas, Veronica Santangelo, a scribe in the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel, will allude to a "small civil war" one chapter experienced due to disagreements over helping people or protecting technology. While this could be an allusion to the schism on the East Coast, this is not confirmed.[41]
References[]
↑ 1.01.11.2The Lone Wanderer: "Tell me more about the Outcasts." Bowditch: "It's a rather sad story, I'm afraid. Last year, some of our soldiers had grave disagreements with the decisions of Elder Lyons. Disagreements spiraled out of control, and there was a schism in the ranks. The loyal soldiers practically threw out the dissenters. Now they call themselves the Outcasts." (Bowditch's dialogue)
↑ 2.02.12.22.3The Prydwen terminal entries; Proctor Quinlan's terminal, The Rise of Elder Maxson Note: There is no explicit date given for Elder Lyons' death. However, the order of the entries "Enter Maxson" and "Accomplishments" suggests that both Owyn and Sarah Lyons died before or while Arthur Maxson was age 12, which would correspond to October 2279 at the latest (based on the Fallout 3 game guide, he is age 10 when the game takes place in 2277).
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Why is that a sore subject?" Reginald Rothchild: "Much has happened in the 23 years since we left the west coast. Our mission has changed in that time. The changes have not all been pleasant, and have had significant repercussions." (Reginald Rothchild's dialogue)
↑ 4.04.1The Lone Wanderer: "So what's your long-term plan for dealing with the Brotherhood?" Henry Casdin: "The Brotherhood came out here to recover technology from the eastern cities and bases. If Lyons won't do it, then we will. And when we resume contact with the Western Elders, Lyons is going to be put in his place. Even if that place is in front of a firing squad." (Henry Casdin's dialogue)
↑ 5.05.15.25.35.4The Lone Wanderer: "What kind of changes?" Reginald Rothchild: "We were dispatched with a specific mission. We were sent to locate and secure any technology remaining from before the war. Like our robotic monstrosity. That was our greatest find. Damn thing still doesn't work, but at least it's ours. But those damned Super Mutants... They changed things. Lyons changed. He decided they were a threat. Not just to us, but to everyone. And so he altered the mission. Finding the source of the mutants and putting a stop to them was his goal. Our original mission became an afterthought. We've failed both." (Reginald Rothchild's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Why are you here in the Capital Wasteland?" Owyn Lyons: "Our orders were, and are, to acquire any and all advanced technology. And we have, to the best of our abilities. But when I realized the extent of the Super Mutant threat, I felt it was my responsibility to aid the people in their struggle against them. Unfortunately, my superiors back west disagree with my assessment of the situation. They feel I've grown too "attached" to the local populace. And they're right." In any event, the Enclave's arrival changes everything..." (Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Anything more you can tell me about the Super Mutants?" Elder Lyons: "Would you believe... 'no'? It's pathetic, really, considering we've been fighting those abominations for nearly twenty years. In all that time, all we've managed to do is contain the threat. Hold them back, so they don't overrun every blasted settlement out here. But we don't really 'know' anything. Where they're from, why they've infested the D.C. ruins. And now here we are, holed up in our Citadel. Low on resources, low on troops. It's enough to make an old man so very... tired." (Elder Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
↑Three Dog: "One of the Brotherhood guys that passed through here mentioned seeing a dish in one of D.C.'s old museums. It's the dish off of the old Virgo II Lunar Lander in the Museum of Technology. I want you to get it and bring it to the Washington Monument to replace the bad one. That's it." (Three Dog's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "The Super Mutants are coming from Vault 87. It's their breeding ground." Elder Lyons: "Vault 87? Where you found the G.E.C.K.? We've never been able to penetrate the radiation surrounding that area... This information is invaluable! Well done!" (Elder Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Why did they build the walls?" Manya Vargas: "Well, the Raiders, for one. Once the town got big enough, they'd wait until the traders and their guards were away, then come in and clean us out! Now the Super Mutants... They were a whole other breed of problem. They'd kill us if they had to, but mostly they tried to drag people away! Alive! So, eventually, my father did something about it. Him and a few others organized the traders and the citizens and built the walls. So we're pretty safe now. Still, I wish those Brotherhood of Steel fellers hadn't hit on such hard times. They really helped keep the wolves at bay." (Manya Vargas' dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "You make saving people sound like a bad thing." Reginald Rothchild: "It wasn't why we were sent here. Good or bad has nothing to do with it. Lyons knew that, but ignored it. He decided it was more important to save the people here than to obey orders from his superiors. For years he'd try and persuade them to send reinforcements and supplies, all the while stringing them along, saying he was sticking to the mission. Finally, things came to a head. Lyons directly refused orders, and so the West Coast cut us off. No communications, no reinforcements." The Lone Wanderer: "Why, what happened?" Reginald Rothchild: "Lines of communication were severed years ago. The Western Elders have washed their hands of us." (Reginald Rothchild's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "How do you feel about the Brotherhood of Steel?" Protector Casdin: "Which one, the original Brotherhood out West, or the shit that Lyons turned it into out here?" The Lone Wanderer: "What do you mean 'the original Brotherhood?'" Protector Casdin: "I mean the Brotherhood from out West, back around California. We knew what we were doing back there. We didn't waste time with delusions of heroism. We were collecting still-glowing embers from the ashes of humanity, before civilization's fire died completely. {Almost wistful.} We didn't worry about saving individual communities. We worried about saving the progress of humanity itself." (Protector Henry Casdin's dialogue)
↑ 17.017.1The Lone Wanderer: "I thought the protection of humanity was a part of the Brotherhood's oaths." Elder Lyons: "Only in a very broad sense. The Brotherhood's oaths are to protect humanity's progress, but not necessarily every human. The Outcasts - and members of the Brotherhood in other places - consider it a waste to protect most people. {Angry at their callousness} 'After all,' they say, 'everyone knows how to make another human, but the secrets to making a P94 Plasma Rifle are all but lost.' {Mockingly spoken, angry at the inhumanity of the quote}" (Elder Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "What have you got against the Brotherhood?" Defender Morgan: "You mean, apart from the fact that they ditched their mission and went native? Sure, I bet you don't mind them being cuddly with the locals, but when we came out here, we had a mission to do, damnit. But now they're wasting their time protecting yahoos like you, while Ahab Lyons is off chasing his Super Mutant white whale." The Lone Wanderer: "But they're heroes! They defend the Capital Wasteland!" Defender Morgan: "And all at the cost of throwing away the lives of soldiers for a mission they didn't sign on for. They're not supposed to be saving a bunch of backwards locals from raiders, they're supposed to be saving mankind from a new dark age. Well, some of mankind, anyway. The important parts, at least." (Anne Marie Morgan's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "How do you feel about the Brotherhood of Steel?" Defender Rockfowl: "I used to like serving with them, I really did. But, you know, the technology has to come first. Elder Lyons was nice and all, but we don't rescue technology by being nice. He was wasting my time, and my Pop didn't raise me to have my time wasted. So when Casdin left to continue the mission, I followed." (Defender Rococo Rockfowl's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "How did Lyons change the Brotherhood?" Henry Casdin: "Oh, he used to be as tough as the rest of us. Wasn't so long ago, we fought side-by-side to Scourge the Pitt. But somewhere, he went soft. Stopped looking at the big picture, and started trying to save every tribal and illiterate community he found. When he had us helping those savages instead of recovering tech that could help us all, that's when we objected and became Outcasts." (Henry Casdin's dialogue)
↑ 21.021.121.2The Lone Wanderer: "Who were the exiles?" Bowditch: "The soldiers rallied behind Paladin Casdin, who was one of Elder Lyons' original squad. They served together for over twenty years. Casdin was well-respected, and every bit as loyal to the Brotherhood as Elder Lyons. He just disagreed with the interpretations of our oaths. But when disagreements turned into fistfights, he left with the Outcasts. We lost more allies that day than we ever have to any battle." (Bowditch's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "What sort of disagreements did they have?" Bowditch: "Where Elder Lyons has fought to protect the people of the Capital Wasteland, the Outcasts demanded we move on and leave them to their fates. They insisted there was more important technology to be recovered in a scientific base in the ruins of Fort Independence, to the West. As callous as their decision may be, it's more in line with our original mission. Elder Lyons is an inspiration to us, but to them he's a traitor." (Bowditch's dialogue)
↑ 24.024.1The Lone Wanderer: "Tell me more about the Outcasts." Protector Casdin: "We were cast out for our dedication to the Brotherhood's true goals. Lyons wanted to play hero to the locals, instead of doing his job. We were proud to leave him, so we kept the name 'Outcasts' and wear it with pride. A big 'fuck you' to the old man. He may have struck our names from the great Codex, but we'll be vindicated in the end, and our names will be restored." (Protector Henry Casdin's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Can you tell me about the Outcasts?" Elder Lyons: "The Outcasts are a result of my greatest mistake. But a mistake I'm proud of, nonetheless. When I came here, I realized for the first time that the Brotherhood's technology could truly save the survivors in this Wasteland. I chose to help them, even if it meant putting the Brotherhood's interests at risk. Some of my soldiers called me a hero. Others called me a traitor. The dissenters left my command, calling themselves Outcasts to mock me. I cannot fault their dedication, even if I find them lacking in compassion." (Elder Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
↑ 27.027.1The Lone Wanderer: "So, you just figure you'll strike out on your own as Outcasts?" Defender Morgan:"Not hardly. We've got our mission, we'll stick with it, and to hell with Lyons and his soldier sycophants. If they call us Outcasts for our dedication to duty, then we'll wear the title with pride! And you just wait for when we get back in contact with the real Brotherhood out West. Lyons will have hell to pay." (Defender Anne Marie Morgan's dialogue)
↑ 28.028.1The Lone Wanderer: "Tell me about the Outcasts." Defender Morgan: "We collect technology, and most people want what we've collected. Right now, we're pretty much stuck defending this Fort, but that won't be forever. Once we regroup, we'll continue our work and keep moving back west." (Defender Anne Marie Morgan's dialogue)
↑Operation: Anchorage loading screens: "The Brotherhood Outcasts now control the VSS Facility, and hope to gain access to the advanced technology contained within."
↑See here for a list of Outcasts' scripted spawn points. See here for the list of Outcast random encounters, which can happen at any of the map's type B encounter hotspots.
↑In Fallout 3, Brotherhood of Steel members and Brotherhood Outcasts are hostile to each other, and it is possible for them to meet and fight. However, this is mostly limited to a few locations because Brotherhood of Steel members are not part of wasteland random encounters and are primarily found in the D.C. ruins. Some of the only places they are likely to encounter Outcasts are near Vault 101 and Fort Bannister with the Fallout 3add-onBroken Steel, which adds Brotherhood members to those areas.
↑Three Dog on Galaxy News Radio: "Tensions continue to mount between the courageous forces of the Brotherhood of Steel and their estranged brethren, the Outcasts. Now, normally, family squabbles are none of my business. But when the Outcasts decide to take pot shots at my building which the Brotherhood uses as an outpost I make an exception. So, Brotherhood Outcasts knock it off! I'd prefer not to get murdered in my own backyard. The rest of you Brotherhood cats can't you extend an olive branch or something? You'd think fighting the Super Mutants would be enough..."
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Has the Brotherhood ever faced a real challenge?" Owyn Lyons: "A real challenge? Every blessed hour of every blessed day. Just because we have good equipment doesn't mean we're invincible. A tool is only as good as the craftsman who holds it. And I've seen my share of friends lost. Between the fighting, the Outcasts, and the everyday tragedies, we've seen plenty of grief in these Wastes." (Elder Lyons' dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "You must see a lot of things. What's been going on?" Knight Artemis: "What's been going on? Well, let's see. For years, we've been draining our resources defending the ungrateful residents of this no man's land. Most of my best friends have either been ripped apart by Super Mutants or left to join the Outcasts. And now an enemy we faced more than thirty years ago has resurfaced, and their tech is still better than ours. What's been going on with you?" (Knight Artemis' dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Those sound like pretty good changes to me." Reginald Rothchild: "You're an outsider. I don't expect you to understand. We live and die by our dedication to the Brotherhood. To go against orders... It's not something that's done. I appreciate that Lyons believes he is doing what is right, but he should never have disobeyed orders. And now look where it's gotten us. Forces dwindled, Super Mutants on one side, Enclave on the other. We can barely take care of ourselves." (Reginald Rothchild's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "How do your remaining soldiers feel about the Outcasts?" Elder Lyons: "Even now, a year after they left, the wounds of their departure are still sore. Some of my soldiers are angry about it they see it as an insult to me. Bless them for their loyalty, they're more angry about it than I ever was. Others understand their decision. Sometimes I hear them wondering if they should have gone with them. I can't blame them, but I stand by my decision. And I respect theirs." (Elder Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
↑The Courier: "Does the Brotherhood protect people from raiders or other threats?" Veronica Santangelo: "No, no. We only protect people from themselves, and only in the sense that we don't let them have the really good pre-War toys. And sometimes it's more like we protect ourselves from them and hope to outlive them and become humanity's sole heirs. We've had people go rogue, though, and start helping people. One chapter had a small civil war over it. We take our isolationism seriously." (Veronica Santangelo's dialogue)
Non-game
↑ 1.01.1Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.71: "Elder Owyn Lyons Lyons, 75, was already highly decorated when he set out from the order's West Coast headquarters, leading a party of soldiers on a mission to reestablish contact with the "Eastern Brotherhood." He discovered this abandoned Pentagon military complex. The presence of Super Mutants sent a chill up the collective spine of the Brotherhood; these weren't the children of the dreaded Master, nor were they the remnants of the band that fled east and were ultimately destroyed (or assimilated into the Brotherhood of Steel) in the Chicago area. No, this was a new breed of Super Mutant, one with a local origin. But where did they come from? What did they want? How were they reproducing? Elder Lyons was ordered to discover the source of this new Super Mutant infestation and wipe it from the face of the earth. Recent weeks have seen him galvanize his "Pride" to thwart the remnants of the Enclave forces, and to provide drinking water to all." (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)
↑ 2.02.1Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition pp.43-44: "Pitt Raiders Pitt Slaves Trogs Wildmen Following the Great War, survivors established a settlement on the remains of a city at the confluence of rivers. The rivers seem to provide a clear resource, and enough of the city was cleared by the bombs that a new settlement could be established. However, radioactive material and unidentified mutagens mixed into the groundwater, causing it to become slightly mutagenic and highly carcinogenic. As a result, the people in the new settlement began to change ever so slightly. The changes were subtle, not nearly to the degree of the Super Mutants or the various Wasteland creatures, but over the next 140 years, it became undeniable that something was affecting the people of The Pitt. Starting from the first few years, children were often born with strange growths or extra vestigial limbs. The mutations never went far beyond the occasional hunchback or cleft palate, but it wasn't long before the vast majority of the residents of The Pitt developed some sort of physical deformity in their lifetimes. Although many children were born "clean," the older they got, the more likely that a problem would develop. The most disturbing change that the environment caused was not nearly as noticeable as the physical deformities. The infected water and poisoned sky began to cause neurological damage to those exposed to it. People became more hostile, violent, and short-tempered; they became known as "Wildmen." Their emotions became out of control, and their actions often teetered on primal. In severe cases, mutated humans devolved into hunched, savage beasts nicknamed "Trogs." Over the first 50 years, The Pitt quickly degenerated into a dangerous den of murderers and rapists; even cannibalism was not uncommon. The only loyalty was in strength, and the only organization was between those who were strong enough to control others and those who were controlled. Rumors of the horrors of The Pitt spread throughout the Wasteland, and all travelers knew to avoid it at all costs. However, The Pitt became one of the most self-sufficient communities in the Wastes. Granted, their self-sufficiency relied on the citizens occasionally eating one another, but they functioned without trade or export. In 2042, Star Paladin Lyons of the Brotherhood of Steel led the Scourge, a large-scale military action that wiped out nearly the entire population of The Pitt. In a single night, the Brotherhood swept through the city, eliminating any resident who put up a fight. Although the intent of the Scourge remains unclear, several unmutated children were taken from The Pitt by the Brotherhood and placed into initiate training. The motivations for the Scourge are unclear to this day, but many in the Brotherhood note that it was a marked change in the way the Brotherhood operates. Additionally, it is known that something was recovered from The Pitt during the Scourge, although to date it would seem that only Elder Lyons knows what it was. It is said that a Brotherhood of Steel Paladin from the Scourge stayed on in The Pitt, seeking to bring law and order to the unwashed masses and creating an underclass of Pitt Slaves in the process, guarded by Pitt Raiders under his personal command. However, in the decades following the events of the Scourge, nobody has heard anything from The Pitt. Travelers who have gone to investigate have not returned, and no survivors have emerged." (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide faction profiles)
↑Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition pp.336-337: "4.03: MDPL MASS RELAY STATION (LAT -17/LONG 10) Once under the Brotherhood of Steel’s protection, this is now home to a small Raider scavenger team under Torcher’s leadership. Torcher is in the interior substation, and he’s armed with a Flamer to really cause you some problems." (Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition Tour of the Capital Wasteland)
↑ 5.05.1Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition pp.41-42: "Brotherhood Outcasts" "The Brotherhood Outcasts are a contingent of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers who split from Elder Lyons' group at the Citadel (stealing technology and weapons in the process). The reason for the split? They felt like Elder Lyons had "gone native," and concerned himself too much with the need of the locals. Yes, he was supposed to discover the breeding ground of the Super Mutants, but not to the exclusion of the original, "greater" mission—the acquisition of technology. In their eyes, Lyons is a joke, possibly even a traitor. He hasn't even bothered to get his giant robot working, let alone continue the search for technology. In their eyes, they are the true Brotherhood of Steel, carrying on the mission of the main West Coast contingent. They proudly wear the name 'Outcast'; anything to further dissociation them from Lyons. It's also important to note that the Brotherhood's concentration on acquiring advanced technology means they have their obsessions—including the procurement of alien weapons from anywhere in the Capital Wasteland, including possible crashed U.F.O. and pre-war government installations." (Fallout 3 Official Game Guide faction profiles)
