“Good. My task here is to collect the written works of those who came before in order to supplement the Brotherhood Archives at the Citadel. Although most of the pre-war books have been destroyed, there are a few that have survived. But finding a book in these ruins is... difficult. I could have a million Initiates to comb the ruins, and I'd still never come close to recovering every book that remains undamaged.”
Yearling is the Order of the Quill's field operative tasked with collecting pre-War books from the Capital Wasteland.[1][Non-game 1] The purpose of her mission is to further expand the Citadelarchives, with the gathering of written works a core responsibility of her order.[2][3] As such, she and her team have set up for this project at Arlington Library, searching for records and utilizing the library's computer system to track the books collected.[4][5] The Brotherhood, in spite of the personnel and resources shortage, has also managed to divert some manpower into sending the books back to the Citadel under escort, whereby they are transcribed into the archives.[5] According to Yearling, the ulterior motive behind this collection of knowledge is to further the Brotherhood's own goals, and she believes that "the collected knowledge of a lost age is worth far more than any weapon" to the Brotherhood.[6][7] Anything from children's stories to technical manuals is analyzed by Yearling and the other Order of the Quill scribes, as the variety is deemed a cumulative representation of pre-War knowledge that the Brotherhood can benefit from.[6]
However, Yearling and her team have reached an impasse in their search for written works in the library, with a majority of the books destroyed or hidden underneath the rubble of the ruins.[8] She can hyperbolically comment that she could have "a million initiates comb the ruins," and still not come close to uncovering all of the library's books.[2] Instead, she has resorted to offering outsiders rewards in exchange for pre-War books, a proposal she can extend to the Lone Wanderer with the promise of money or other types of compensation.[9][10] Despite the resources shortage, Yearling claims that she has at her disposal the "considerable" assets of the Brotherhood to compensate the Lone Wanderer with.[11] She has no qualms over how the Lone Wanderer chooses to acquire the books, reassuring them that she will not ask any questions over this and will reward them accordingly.[12] The other problem her team has encountered is the raider presence; although she has access to the card catalogs, Yearling cannot proceed into the library's main archives because of them, claiming she is a "scholar, not a fighter," and will decline venturing further in with the Lone Wanderer.[13] Similarly, if asked about where to locate ink, she provides directions but warns of a possible infestation of rats and roaches.[14]
Yearling prides herself on propriety, correcting the Lone Wanderer if they refer to her as "lady," and stating that her title is instead "scribe."[11] She frowns upon the likes of "ill-mannered Wastelanders," on the basis that she is too preoccupied with her operation to deal with them.[15] Similarly, the Lone Wanderer offering her books when they do not have any on their person causes her to ask in frustration if they think this is funny, particularly as she does "not have time for such jokes."[16][17] She declines to speak ill of Elder Lyons if questioned about him, restricting herself to commenting about his non-traditionalist behavior.[18] Antagonizing Yearling by speaking ill of the Brotherhood causes her to warn the Lone Wanderer that the group has very long memories, and to be wary of slighting them.[15] She does not take kindly to insults of the Brotherhood's operation, but can opt to disregard such comments in favor of her proposal; however, her patience has its bounds, as referring to the Brotherhood as "assholes" causes her to rescind any contact, and permanently banish the Lone Wanderer from the library.[15] If the Lone Wanderer states they are looking for records from the library, she is pleasantly surprised by this, noting how rare it is to meet someone with "proper priorities."[4] Dissimilarly, she frowns upon the Lone Wanderer expressing a desire for monetary compensation and stereotypes it as common behavior among wastelanders, though admires the dedication to its pursuit.[10][9] Regardless of her discontent for wastelanders, if the Lone Wanderer comments that they use what they can find, just as others do, Yearling will humbly reply "so it goes with all of us," or can go so far as to find the Lone Wanderer brave for traversing the D.C. ruins alone.[19][20]
Despite Yearling's fondness and dedication to cultivating written knowledge, this courtesy does not extend to writing equipment such as ink, which she regards as "old stuff."[14][Non-game 1] Instead, she enjoys field work, unlike Scribe Rothchild, and was initially assigned to the archives where Scribe Jameson, the proctor of her order is located.[Non-game 2][Non-game 1] However, according to Scribe Bigsley, Yearling's transfer was not voluntary but rather exile, a result of being a "contradictory" personality to Jameson's.[21]
Yearling says multiple times that she belongs to the "Order of the Word," even though such an order does not exist, and she actually belongs to the "Order of the Quill."[19][21][22]
While she claims to have alternative compensation and resources to caps, she only offers the latter.[9]
Notable quotes[]
"The collected knowledge of a lost age is worth far more than any weapon. Do not underestimate the power of the written word."
"If nothing else, I admire your commitment to your chosen focus. But, to the point: My task here is to collect the written works of those who came before in order to supplement the Brotherhood archives. Although most of the pre-war books have been destroyed, there are a few that have survived. But finding a book in the ruins is... difficult. So, return here with any books that you find and I will reward you for them. With money. Because that's what you like."
"Good. My task here is to collect the written works of those who came before in order to supplement the Brotherhood Archives at the Citadel. Although most of the pre-war books have been destroyed, there are a few that have survived. But finding a book in these ruins is... difficult. I could have a million Initiates to comb the ruins, and I'd still never come close to recovering every book that remains undamaged."
↑The Lone Wanderer: "What Order are you a part of?" Scribe Jameson: "Actually, I am proctor of the Order of the Quill. I oversee the Archives and Library here in the Citadel. We are dedicated to preserving the history of the Brotherhood as well as unearthing the secrets of the pre-war civilizations. We have a single field associate: Scribe Yearling. She operates out of the former Library of Congress to the northeast." (Scribe Jameson's dialogue)
↑ 2.02.1The Lone Wanderer: "I'm interested in this. Tell me more." Scribe Yearling: "Good. My task here is to collect the written works of those who came before in order to supplement the Brotherhood Archives at the Citadel. Although most of the pre-war books have been destroyed, there are a few that have survived. But finding a book in these ruins is... difficult. I could have a million Initiates to comb the ruins, and I'd still never come close to recovering every book that remains undamaged." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "What are the Orders?" Scribe Jameson: "The Order of the Sword is responsible for weapons research and development. Guns, ammunition anything of an offensive nature. Defensive research is done by the Order of the Shield. Power Armor, defensive structures anything that is intended to protect us. The Order of the Quill preserves the written knowledge of the ancients, seeking out all manner of books and holotapes." (Scribe Jameson's dialogue)
↑ 4.04.1The Lone Wanderer: "I'm searching for records from the library." Yearling: "It seems that we have similar goals in mind. It's rare to meet someone who has proper priorities. I am Senior Scribe Yearling, Order of the Word. I have a proposal for you if you are interested." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 5.05.1The Lone Wanderer: "What do you do in this library?" Scribe Yearling: "We have set up this area as a forward operations center for our project. The books we collect can be recorded with the computer systems here. We then ship them under escort back to the Citadel for transcribing into the archives there." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 6.06.1The Lone Wanderer: "Why are you collecting books?" Scribe Yearling: "Books represent the collected knowledge of the world before. Everything from a child's story book to a detailed technical guide has value. By assembling and recording this knowledge, we scribes can analyze it and use it to further the goals of the Brotherhood. Whatever our Elder decides that those goals are, that is." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "The mighty Brotherhood is gathering books? Seriously?" Scribe Yearling: "The collected knowledge of a lost age is worth far more than any weapon. Do not underestimate the power of the written word. But, I will overlook your disrespect because you can be of use. Should you come across any Pre-War Books in your travels, bring them here. I will compensate you for every volume that you bring me. Think on it, and return when you have books to offer me." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "As long as there's money involved, I'm in. Mmmm.... money." Scribe Yearling: "If nothing else, I admire your commitment to your chosen focus. But, to the point: My task here is to collect the written works of those who came before in order to supplement the Brotherhood archives. Although most of the pre-war books have been destroyed, there are a few that have survived. But finding a book in the ruins is... difficult. So, return here with any books that you find and I will reward you for them. With money. Because that's what you like." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 9.09.19.2The Lone Wanderer: "Money and the promise of mysterious compensation? I'm in." Scribe Yearling: "If nothing else, I admire your commitment to your chosen focus. But, to the point: My task here is to collect the written works of those who came before in order to supplement the Brotherhood archives. Although most of the pre-war books have been destroyed, there are a few that have survived. But finding a book in the ruins is... difficult. So, return here with any Pre-War Books that you find and I will reward you for them. With money. Because that's what you like." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 10.010.1The Lone Wanderer: "Does it involve money? I really like money. Like, a lot." Scribe Yearling: "I find that to be so with many Wastelanders. It may involve money, if you choose. Or there may be other forms of compensation. But, before you receive any reward at all, you will have to be willing to aid me in my task here in this library." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 11.011.1The Lone Wanderer: "Why should I tell you anything, lady?" Scribe Yearling: "Actually, it's "Scribe", not lady. Senior Scribe Yearling, Order of the Word. And you should tell me what I want to know because I have a proposal and the considerable resources of the Brotherhood to compensate you." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Sorry, I'm too busy right now." Scribe Yearling: "Very well. But, hear me out before you go. My task is to recover undamaged books in order to supplement the knowledge of the Citadel archives. Should you come across any in your travels, return to me and I will reward you. And no questions will be asked about how you recovered them. That is my proposal. Go now, and be strong. I shall remain here, should you be willing to help." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Can you help me access the library's archives?" Scribe Yearling: "The front desk computer has access to the card catalogs, but it appears that it's lost the connection to the main archives. Here's the password. Now, you might be able to find the central computer further in there, but I'm afraid you'll have to do that without me. I'm a scholar, not a fighter." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 14.014.114.2The Lone Wanderer: "I'm looking for some ink. I was told it might be here in the library." Scribe Yearling: "Hmmm, surprised anyone would care about that old stuff. I think there may be some in the old restoration laboratory a few flights up. Just watch yourself up there, I think it may be infested with rats and roaches." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 15.015.115.215.3The Lone Wanderer: "I can't go anywhere without bumping into you assholes." Scribe Yearling: "I would be cautious about insulting the Brotherhood. We have very long memories. Very long. Leave this library and do not return. We have work to do here and I have no time for ill-mannered Wastelanders. Go." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Actually, I don't have any books to trade." Scribe Yearling: "Then why are you wasting my time? Honestly. Do you think that's funny?" (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Wait... Is there a problem with your Elder?" Scribe Yearling: "It is not my place to criticize Elder Lyons. All I will say to an outsider is that he is not a traditionalist. That is all." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 19.019.1The Lone Wanderer: "I use what I can find, the same as anyone." Scribe Yearling: "So it goes with all of us. Perhaps we can be of use to one another. I am Senior Scribe Yearling, Order of the Word. I have a proposal for you if you are interested." (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑The Lone Wanderer: "Whoa, calm down. I was just exploring this area." Scribe Yearling: "You're awfully brave to be walking around down here by yourself. Are you scavenging the ruins?" (Scribe Yearling's dialogue)
↑ 21.021.1The Lone Wanderer: "I'm interested. Continue..." Scribe Bigsley: "I started out in the Swords. I upped the output of a few Laser Rifles. Apparently some initiates couldn't handle the extra power. A few got hurt. Then I joined the Shields. Bowditch wasn't all that pleased with me proving him and his theories on forcefield resonance were a bit "antiquated." Then I found myself among the Quills. Jameson refuses to accept any fact that conflicts with her rose colored optimistic views. She likes to assign "contradictory" personalities to "field operations." Take for example myself here, or Yearling, exiled to that accursed library. I used to think Rothchild and I were on the same page. Turns out he's happy to blindly follow the old man's orders like the rest of them." (Scribe Bigsley's dialogue)
↑In the French version of the game, Yearling introduces herself as a senior scribe of the Order of the Quill
Non-game
↑ 1.01.11.21.3Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.95: "Scribe Yearling: A 30-year-old scribe assigned to the Archives, Scribe Yearling has been transferred to a mission to gather prewar knowledge from the Wasteland. She is young, friendly, and the polar opposite of Scribe Rothchild. She's very dedicated and tends to be a bit shy. When you first meet her, she is in this building but may move to the Citadel; check there if you can't find her."
↑Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.95: "Scribe Peabody: Scribe Peabody is the Brotherhood scribe assigned to the Armory. He's a weapons expert and is in charge of maintaining and repairing all the Brotherhood's various firearms, energy weapons, big guns, and anything else that shoots and kills people. He also helped repair Liberty Prime's weapon systems. Unlike Scribe Rothchild, he loves 'field work' and often wishes he could go on combat missions with the Brotherhood Knights and Paladins."
