Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel

Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel was a rogue chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel operating in the Capital Wasteland out of the Citadel, built into and beneath the ruins of the Pentagon on the edge of what used to be Washington, D.C. For most of its history, it was  led by Elder Owyn Lyons, in accordance with his own Lyons Doctrine.

The Expedition
 In 2254 the Brotherhood's ruling council, based in the Lost Hills bunker in Southern California, decided to send a contingent to the East Coast, with one primary objective: recover any and all advanced technology from East Coast cities and bases. The contingent was placed under the command of Paladin Owyn Lyons, accompanied by technological adviser Scribe Reginald Rothchild, who was privately Owyn's friend, as well as several veteran members of the Brotherhood, including Paladins Henry Casdin, Ishmael Ashur and Tristan.

Scourging the Pitt
On their way to the Capital Wasteland, the Brotherhood's expeditionary force came across the ruins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a single night, the Brotherhood swept through the city from their staging area at Mount Wash, and eliminated any resident who put up a fight. The intent of the Scourge remains unclear, 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. Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.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 [sic], 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) Lyons' contingent left the city with about twenty children in tow, who would later be initiated into the Brotherhood. Most were recruited into the Brotherhood. By 2277 only one remains stationed at the Citadel: Greg Bear, codename Kodiak, stationed with Lyons' Pride.

During the Scourge Lyons' forces suffered only one casualty: Paladin Ishmael Ashur, was buried in rubble during the fighting and presumed dead. However, Ashur survived and established firm control of The Pitt, transforming it into an industrial powerhouse, supported by Brotherhood technological know-how. At the same time, he abandoned the Brotherhood and its teachings, recognizing the inherent failure of the unsustainable, scavenger nature of the Brotherhood's ways.

Arrival
 Lyons' group finally arrived in the Capital Wasteland in 2255, establishing a base of operations within the Pentagon in the first few months. Though the Pentagon was largely destroyed, its sub-levels remained, for the most part, intact and its surviving stockpiles contained undisturbed pre-War technology and weaponry to sustain their operations. The crown jewel though was Liberty Prime, a technological marvel that, if restored, could help the Brotherhood of Steel rebuild a strength and reputation that had been declining steadily for years.

The discovery of Liberty Prime earned Paladin Lyons a battlefield promotion to Elder, and a new directive from his superiors in Southern California – to establish a new, permanent Brotherhood base in the Capital Wasteland, and continue the search for any other advanced technology hidden in the former capital city’s ruins.  Shortly after their arrival, Lyons' scouts have identified a new threat in the area: a peculiar breed of super mutants, infesting the deserted ruins of downtown D.C. Concerned by their presence and convinced that they are the primary threat to the Wasteland, Lyons initiated a protracted campaign of aggression to eradicate them. At the same time, they lent assistance to James and Catherine, a pair of scientists attempting to build a mass-scale purifier, intending to supply the wasteland with a virtually inexhaustible source of fresh, purified water, reducing their dependence on local purification methods. Ultimately, Project Purity failed to take off, despite the Brotherhood's involvement. Frustrated, Lyons withdrew his forces, leaving the Project to fend for itself. Project Purity died shortly after, together with Catherine, James' wife. A more beneficial relationship was established years later, in 2272, with Three Dog who, in return for protection and tech support, gave the Brotherhood access to the Galaxy News Radio plaza and spoke well of the Brotherhood. From that point onward, it became a Brotherhood stronghold in the D.C. sea of ruins, doubling as a propaganda radio station for Lyons.

But for the time being, too many questions remained: how had these local super mutants been created? Were they related to the super mutants of New California in the west? Why were they capturing the people of the Capital Wasteland? Where were they taking them?

Going Rogue
Finding these answers would ultimately become Owyn Lyons' obsession. The newly appointed Elder decided, in spite of evidence to the contrary, that the super mutants were a threat not just to the Brotherhood and their scouts in D.C., but all the people in the Wasteland. Thus, he began to direct resources towards fighting the mutants, gradually reducing the importance of fulfilling the primary mission objective: recovering technology.

With the conflict straining his resources, Lyons attempted to persuade the West Coast for several years to send reinforcements and supplies, claiming to be following the mission objectives, but in secret, he continued to order his subordinates to save people by killing super mutants. However, no lie can be sustained indefinitely. Things came to a head when Lyons outright refused to follow a direct order from the Elders. In response, the West Coast swiftly cut him loose, shutting off communications and denying any and all reinforcements. By 2277, communications between the Lyons' chapter and Lost Hills have completely ceased.

The conflict with the Super Mutants dragged on for years, straining resources and manpower to the breaking point. Without the Brotherhood's support, the situation became progressively worse. However, Lyons' men continued to stick with him and follow his orders, primarily out of the doctrine of loyalty the Brotherhood taught them from birth. This state of affairs would not last, culminating in what became the single most devastating blow to Lyons' chapter ability to wage war in its short history.

The Schism

 * Main articles: Brotherhood Outcasts, Schism

Under Lyons' command, segments of knights and paladins became dissatisfied with Lyons' focus on protecting the capital and its inhabitants from super mutants, seeing it as an ineffectual waste of men and resources that would ultimately destroy the Brotherhood. The situation gradually worsened, finally tipping in 2276, when Elder Lyons ignored their repeated requests to recover tech from Fort Independence, a pre-War scientific military base. Rallying behind Paladin Henry Casdin, the dissenters abandoned Lyons' command and left the Citadel, taking a large part of its weapons and equipment stockpiles with them. Lyons lost more soldiers in that single moment than he did over the 23 years of fighting mutants. The loss of men and materiel had a significant negative impact on the combat performance of Lyons' chapter, greatly reducing its ability to project their power throughout the Capital Wasteland.

Under Casdin's command, the rogue scribes, knights and paladins seized Fort Independence, where they pushed back the indigenous raider groups and adapted the former military base for use as their main headquarters. Termed "Outcasts" by their angered former brothers and sisters, the renegade soldiers adopted the name as a badge of honor, and painted their armor red and black to distinguish themselves from the organization in which they no longer believe. A year after the split, the Outcasts organized a system of regular patrols, scouring the wasteland for technology, and began to excavate several locations, including the Virtual Strategic Simulations facility, in order to complete the original mission objectives. Ultimately, they plan to regroup with loyalist chapters in the West, though presently, they are stuck protecting Fort Independence and their considerable stockpile of powerful technology.

Turning point
Lyons' Brotherhood began 2277 as a diminished, weakened force, suffering from a shortage of qualified combat personnel and severely depleted stocks of weapons and equipment. As a result, the Brotherhood had limited presence outside the Citadel, with only a handful of reinforced outposts scattered across the District of Columbia metropolitan area.

Elder Lyons' charisma kept his people devoted to goals outlined by him, as did his daughter's personal combat unit, the Lyons' Pride. Sarah Lyons held the rank of Sentinel and was considered a skilled combatant, leading the best warriors Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel had to offer. The same was not true for other members of the organization: After losing a great number of his men due to the Schism, Lyons was forced to recruit new members from the local population and the results proved disappointing. The attrition rate was tremendous, primarily due to deploying freshly trained initiates into combat. Without proper training, many died rapidly, despite being issued military grade weapons and armor, up to and including T-45d powered armor.

It is in this weakened state that the Brotherhood was forced to face the Enclave. The purifier they once abandoned has been reactivated by its former head researcher, James, with assistance from his child, known now only as the Lone Wanderer. The seizure of the purifier by the Enclave and arrival of Dr. Madison Li at the Citadel with information that the Purifier can be made functional, despite previous data to the contrary, forced Elder Lyons to make a decision. The Elder decided that having Enclave extremists in control of the wasteland could not be allowed. To this end, he began to muster what little forces he had and gear them up for a campaign against the Enclave, while assigning the Lone Wanderer to retrieve the key to Project Purity: the Garden of Eden Creation Kit from Vault 87. Meanwhile, Madison Li and Scribe Rothchild set out to devise a way to make Liberty Prime operational.

The Lone Wanderer's mission did not go as planned. The Enclave managed to infiltrate Vault 87 some time prior and captured the Lone Wanderer and the G.E.C.K. However, due to President Eden and Colonel Autumn's disagreements, the Lone Wanderer escaped Raven Rock and regrouped with Lyons' forces at the Citadel. Despite having barely enough men to keep the Citadel defended, Elder Lyons ordered the freshly activated, jury rigged Liberty Prime to be deployed, covered by Lyons' Pride, in order to prevent the Enclave from activating the purifier.

Confrontation
Unprepared for such an attack, the Enclave could not defeat Liberty Prime, especially as the Pride and the Lone Wanderer moved in behind him to mop up any survivors. The spearhead carved a path through the perimeter around the purifier, including photonic resonance barriers, and finally, Sarah Lyons and the Lone Wanderer punched through the remaining defenders, reaching the control room. Upon inputting the access code, Project Purity was activated and immediately began purifying the tidal basin in D.C. However, the shock wave generated at the moment of activation threw both Sarah Lyons and the Lone Wanderer into a coma.

The Lone Wanderer later awoke from their coma two weeks later in the Citadel's infirmary, and was inducted into the Brotherhood as a Knight, by Elder Lyons himself. The wasteland changed in the fourteen days that passed. The defeat at the purifier threw remaining Enclave forces into disarray, allowing the Pride and other Lyons units, supported by Liberty Prime, to destroy several key installations throughout the wastes, first and foremost being Raven Rock. With it lost, Enclave remnants in the Capital Wasteland became disorganized and uncoordinated, making it easier for the still weak Brotherhood to openly attack and rout them, particularly with Prime's support.

A second major change in the landscape was the appearance of water caravans. Elder Lyons made the decision to provide water to all major settlements in the wasteland, completely free of charge. Elder Lyons' insistence on providing water for free has made finding resources and funding for the operation extremely hard. So hard in fact, that they forced Scribe Bigsley, the man in charge of the entire venture, to go against his orders and sell water, in order to actually be able to accomplish what he's been ordered to do. Another problem was that bottling water had to be accomplished manually, as the Brotherhood is too preoccupied with reverse-engineering Enclave tech to devise a bottling machine. The entire operation was also severely hampered by a general lack of resources and planning.

But even with the Brotherhood slowly gaining the upper hand, the Enclave would prove hard to defeat. They lured Lyons and his men into a false sense of security, eventually drawing them to the satellite relay station to the west of the wasteland. There, Liberty Prime was completely destroyed by an orbital strike, at the cost of dozens of Enclave soldiers' lives. This has turned the tide completely, as Lyons' forces lost the only real military advantage they had over the Enclave. Even the encrypted data recovered from the ruins of the Rockland facility could not compensate.

The destruction of Liberty Prime put the Brotherhood in a very difficult position, as it removed the only significant military advantage it had over the Enclave. Lyons had little in the way of men and resources at the beginning of the conflict with the Enclave, and after the loss of Prime all of these problems surfaced, exacerbated by the ongoing water delivery program. With the resources pooled into defense against the Enclave, the newly inducted Knight, the Lone Wanderer, was ordered to infiltrate the Olney Powerworks to retrieve a Tesla coil. The coil was a technological marvel necessary for Scribe Rothchild to begin manufacturing Tesla cannons, heavy duty pre-War energy weapons, to reduce the technological gap between the Brotherhood and the Enclave.

The Lone Wanderer was successful in their mission, which allowed Rothchild and the scribes to begin assembling cannons after quickly reverse-engineering the Tesla coil. At this point, the Lone Wanderer became Lyons' most capable field operative and was tasked with an assignment of adequate importance: based on data recovered during the ill fated attack on the relay station, the Brotherhood identified a second base of operations used by the Enclave, in the ruins of the Adams Air Force Base. The Wanderer was given orders to infiltrate the base, alone, and destroy the headquarters of the Enclave, while the rest of the Brotherhood created a distraction to allow the Wanderer to slip in undetected.

Again, with considerable effort, the Lone Wanderer managed to single handedly infiltrate Adams AFB and destroy the Enclave's mobile base crawler, effectively wiping out the remaining Enclave command structure, breaking its back in the East for the second time (and third in history).

The Last Days
 Following the conflict with the Enclave, the Brotherhood enjoyed a stable, but hardly unrivaled position. Suffering from severely depleted stockpiles and shortage of manpower at the beginning of the conflict,   casualties taken during the fight with the Enclave and the loss of their most important military asset, Liberty Prime, made the future uncertain. Occupied by its research into the Enclave technology and the amount of gear and weapons it recovered, the Brotherhood slowly regained strength as it slowly chipped away at the years-long process. One of the greatest achievements of the Brotherhood of this time was starting the construction of the Prydwen, an armored airship greatly increasing the Brotherhood's ability to project power.

The biggest setback suffered by the chapter was the death of Elder Owyn Lyons circa 2278 and the loss of his successor, Elder Sarah Lyons, later that same year. With the seat of power emptied, the remaining Brotherhood members elected multiple ineffectual leaders, while the adolescent Squire Arthur Maxson matured into a capable warrior and tactician, eventually securing a victory over Shepherd, the new warboss of the Capital Wasteland super mutants, in 2282. This feat earned him a provisional leadership position. In fact, this position was bestowed by West Coast Elders, who revealed that they still monitored their errant brethren. Maxson's position solidified in 2283, when he negotiated a treaty with the Brotherhood Outcasts, bringing them back into the fold and reforming the entire organization, merging Lyons' Doctrine with salvageable elements of traditional doctrines. Lyons' Brotherhood became a distant memory as Maxson took the united Brotherhood forces into a new direction. While some members found this distasteful and deserted, many more remained, proud to serve a refocused Brotherhood. 

Organization
Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel is a rogue chapter of the Brotherhood, that has retained much of the customs of their parent organizations, with a few minor tweaks. As the original, it is essentially a techno-religious, pseudo-knightly military order, led by a single Elder, Owyn Lyons. The Elder has total control over the organization and its every aspect, from outlining the overarching goals, to assigning individual members duties to fullfill. Unlike the original Brotherhood, Lyons' chapter has folded the Knight and Paladin castes into one, whose duties are focused on combat. Scribes, on the other hand, are tasked with both research, as well as manufacture of technologies. The division into the Orders of Sword, Shield and Quill are retained.

Military details
In the field, the Brotherhood operates in a squad based system, utilizing proper military tactics and maintaining strict hierarchy. Due to a lack of radio equipment, most units act as independent cells without standing orders, sometimes not reporting to the Citadel for weeks or months. Members of the military arm of the Brotherhood can be divided into three clear groups:
 * Initiates are born into the Brotherhood or are local volunteers who are recruited to become members. In recent years however, this has become a problem, with many of the initiates lacking proper training and being rushed into combat. Unfortunately, these are the most numerous members of the Brotherhoods ground forces.
 * Knights and Knight Captains and members who have served time in the Brotherhood and had become fully fledged members. They are the main backbone, less common than Initiates, but much better fighters.
 * Paladins are veterans of the Brotherhood, many being members of Elder Lyons' original party that came out to D.C. They are among the best of the Brotherhood and are often high ranking field commanders or used in elite strike teams. Sentinel Lyons is the highest ranking field commander and answers directly to Elder Lyons, she heads up Lyon's Pride, the best soldiers of the Capital Wastelands' Brotherhood of Steel, in one squad.

Wastelanders could be accepted by the organization an Initiates, on the condition that they would be sponsored by an existing Brotherhood member in good standing. After 2276 and the formation of the Outcasts, the depleted ranks of the Brotherhood had to be bolstered with local recruits without the need for a sponsor. However, the quality of those conscripted into Lyons' service is very low, as they are overeager, aggressive and unskilled.

Outside relations
Before 2277, the Brotherhood was a more active player in the wasteland. It aided the protection of Megaton and the construction of Project Purity before Elder Lyons decided it was a wasted effort.

By 2277, the Brotherhood has very limited relations with the outside. The Citadel itself is off limits to outsiders and Elder Lyons aborted nearly all military operations, with the exception of hunting super mutants in the ruins of Washington, D.C. (a fact mocked by the Outcasts as a pointless hunt for the white whale). It still does limited trading with the outside, primarily for supplies.

The Brotherhood has little tolerance for ghouls, shooting at them on sight, either mistaking them for super mutants, or not caring about the differences.

After the Enclave reemerged in the wastelands, the Brotherhood became more active in the wastelands once more, establishing water delivery caravans from the purifier it controlled and leading incursions against the disorganized Enclave forces following their defeat at the Battle of Project Purity and the loss of Raven Rock.

Technology
The technological level of Lyons's Brotherhood is varied. After the Schism in 2276, the chapter has lost a great deal of its weapons, equipment and most importantly men, beginning 2277 as a greatly diminished force. The shortage of supplies also means difficulties in maintaining weapons, armor, equipment and particualrly any potential research. Although diminished, they did not stop researching new technologies, and modifying current designs, including upgrading power armor despite the part shortages.

The Brotherhood does, however, have access to an ample supply of T-45 power armor, which is standard issue to any personnel operating in the field, even initiates. However, due to the amount of untrained initiates in the ranks of Lyons' organization, the Brotherhood is losing equipment very fast, as every dead Initiate that's left in the wasteland means one less suit of armor and one less loadout set. Their main weapons are either R91 or Type 93 assault rifles, AER9 laser rifle, or the CZ53 personal minigun.

The campaign against the Enclave and the eventual victory, unlike the campaign against the super mutants, has provided the Brotherhood with a fresh supply of advanced technology, including Advanced power armor variants scavenged from dead troopers and Enclave weaponry. While reverse engineering procedures are underway, it might take years for the technology to be fully understood, researched and retrieved from the wreckage of various bases in the wasteland. However, it has come at the cost of losing Liberty Prime, the only truly unique war asset the Brotherhood had. The Brotherhood would not rebuild it until 2287, under new management.

Somewhat ironically, despite the refined military technology at its disposal, the chapter does not have access to radio communications, forcing its troops to rely on messengers and couriers to maintain contact. The situation also results in a greatly limited ability to keep the Scrolls updated.

Notable members
In the game, the player encounters around 110 members total (unnamed and named), 85 combatants and 24 non-combatants. The actual size of the chapter as far as the storyline is concerned is likely larger than that, depending on the extent of outside equipment.

Formerly

 * Paladin Ashur (2254/55)
 * Henry Casdin (2276)
 * All Brotherhood outcasts (2276)

Behind the scenes

 * While external recruitment is present in Fallout Tactics, and the "Texas Expedition" in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, the original Brotherhood in Lost Hills refrained from recruiting outsiders, sending them on missions to the Glow. The Vault Dweller's unexpected success was unprecedented.
 * The Brotherhood Outcasts, a split faction of Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel, is conceptually similar to the Circle of Steel in Van Buren. However, although they are hardliner loyalists, they do not have contact with the core Brotherhood.

Appearances
Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel appears in Fallout 3 and Broken Steel, and is mentioned in The Pitt.