Beastlords

"This is war, brother, and war is hell. But take heart - while they will die a delerious, vomiting death, they will do so to help restore civilization from the ashes."

- General Dekker remarking on the fate of the Beastlords.

Beastlords is the name of a savage tribe of mutated humans, notable for its ability to telepathically control simpler lifeforms.

History
A loosely organized group of mutated humans hailing from the region of Mardin, the Beastlords would be unable to face the Eastern Brotherhood of Steel if it wasn't for the unique properties of the region they originate from. The background radiation triggered very peculiar mutations, gradually occurring over twenty years. Apart from developing a discolored, bluish skin, they became able to telepathically control simpler lifeforms, such as mutated wasps, giant cockroaches, canines of all kinds, and even komodo dragons. Unfortunately, the people who underwent the mutation weren't prime subjects. Far from it: The original group of survivors that came to the area around thirty-forty years earlier were already suffering from the adverse effects of inbreeding. Their incestuous offspring would only be worse. Their leader, a warlord calling himself "Emperor" Dar, has the greatest telepathic gift, but is also completely insane, with a strategy that's equally likely to hit and miss.

The end result of Dar's reign was predictable: As the beastlords grew in power, their savage ways and cannibalism earned them few friends. When they attacked the town of Quincy in 2197, the town's mayor petitioned the Eastern Brotherhood of Steel for protection. A strike team led by the Warrior liberated the town and subsequently deposed the self-proclaimed Emperor, scattering the beastlords to the winds. Remnants would be pressed into service as slaves, used as expendable workforce for high risk missions, like transporting a leaking nuclear warhead.

Organization
The beastlords have a simple structure, primarily determined by might and telepathic ability. Individual warbands are led by field commanders, who are among the most savage and insane members of the group, like Duff, a relative of the self-proclaimed emperor. The disturbed nature of their leaders makes the beastlords less effective in combat than they would otherwise be. However, their command of hordes of wild animals compensates for their poor tactics somewhat.

Interestingly, the beastlords were able to force the deathclaws of the Midwest to work for them. Their high level of intelligence rendered them immune to the control, so they forced them to obey by imprisoning their Matriarch. If either her or her broodlings disobeyed, they would be all put to the sword.

Technology
Due to their origins and reliance on wild animals in combat, the beastlords were equipped on par with local raiders. Their primary assets were animals under their psychic control, which they used as both cannon fodder and shock troops. Beyond that, they relied on their limited supply of firearms in combat.

Behind the scenes

 * One of the Beastlord combat taunts, "Fear is the mind-killer," is a reference to the Litany against Fear in Dune.

Appearances
Beastlords appear only in Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Warfare.