Raiders

Raiders is a term used to describe groups of humans living outside regular social hierarchy established by the survivors of the Great War, which lead a parasitic lifestyle, stealing what they need from other survivors and often injuring or killing those they prey on. The term is loosely defined and is applied regardless of the presence or absence of law.

Overview
The term is used across the former United States, applied to various groups that are often wildly different. The common denominator is the fact that under pre-War law, raiders would be considered criminals. The conduct of raider groups differs greatly, as does their propensity for violence. However, they can be roughly divided according to the region they inhabit.

Western North America
The West is rife with various types of raider groups. The most well known are the three tribes that emerged from Vault 15, though there are plenty of other, smaller groups without a distinct style or history. The one common trait is that they are focused on getting rich quick, at the expense of others. These include the Morton brothers and their posses.

By 2241, a distinct type of raiders emerged, offering their services to the highest bidder. These paramilitary groups (Mercenary Raiders, Press Gangs, or robbers) are focused on fulfilling their employer's wishes, rather than raiding without regard.

By 2281, the New California Republic had effectively cleansed the region of raiders. Eastward, Caesar's Legion had done the same thing in a different fashion, but was arguably more raider-free than in New California, making Legion territory safer to visit to some traders. Between the two factions, in the Mojave Wasteland, smaller gangs that technically fit the raider definition continue to exist, such as the Greasers and Scorpions in outer Vegas, with former ones having taken up new identities or striven from the traditional raider path, such as the Great Khans and Fiends.

80s
A group of raiders claiming territory along Interstate 80 in the 23rd century. The 80s are known for raiding frontier towns for supplies and kidnapping people. They are rightly feared for their ability to cover large areas of land with very few men. Beyond that, they are alleged to be cannibalistic in addition to the standard aggressive and self-destructive behavior.

Fiends
The Fiends are one of the least organized, but perhaps most distinct raider tribes to emerge in the 23rd century. Made savage by excessive chem use, the chem fiends are essentially violent junkies, whose aggressive raids have nonetheless allowed them to amass a sizable stockpile of weapons and become a constant thorn in the NCR's side. They are easily distinguished by their headgear: a bighorner skull mounted on top of a leather helmet.

Jackals
A group of raiders that emerged from Vault 15, the Jackals were commonly considered insane cannibals, with every action they took subjugated to one rule: Survival. The Jackals commonly use group tactics to overwhelm their enemies, but due to a lack of coordination and cowardice, they will instantly retreat whenever they doubt they can win. Their bands shelter in various hideaways and fighting over spoils is not uncommon. Around 2131, the Jackals fled New California after the Khans defeated and brutalized them.

Isolated groups of the Jackals would hold out on the fringes of the NCR, though the constant skirmishing with a militarily superior force reduced them to disorganized bands of petty bandits and highwaymen.

Khans

 * Main articles: Khans, New Khans, Great Khans

One of the longest lived raider tribes to emerge out of Vault 15 in 2097, the Khans were among the most powerful raider tribes in New California. Their lifestyle was influenced by historical Mongol tribes, causing them to raid towns (Shady Sands was their common target), enslaving humans, and above all, respect strength.Fallout Bible 6 Raiders in general: "The Jackals: The first clan, the Jackals, is your typical group of crazies. They have no morals except one: survival. They use group tactics to overmatch their enemies. They are craven cowards, though, and will not attack unless they know they can win. They band together in their hideaway and fight over the spoils. The Vipers: The second clan, the Vipers, are mysterious followers of an ancient religion (or so they claim). They usually only come out at night to hunt for food or to conduct raids. They are very ruthless when it comes to combat. They prefer stealth to strength. They usually carry bone knives dipped in Pit Viper venom. This poison, when in the blood stream, paralyzes the victim. Most victims captured in this way are taken back to their hideout. ''The Khans: The last group, the Khans, is probably the most dangerous. They live the lifestyles of Mongol warriors, raiding towns, burning what they cannot take and capturing the survivors for use as slaves. They usually travel in small scouting bands, but sometimes they roam as full war parties. The Khans above all else respect strength. They are eager in combat to prove their worthiness to the clan by engaging in hand to hand combat with fists or clubs. The Khans carry very few firearms (since they are for cowards). Anyone showing superior strength is worthy of their respect. The leader of the Khans is so because no one has beaten him in combat. ''One interesting thing listed in the original documentation is that all raider bands were supposedly all from Vault 15 after it opened, but they all splintered off into different groups from the overpopulated Vault. ''All of these raider groups officially exist in the Fallout universe, though only the Khans are in southern California at the start of Fallout 1. The handful of Vipers that survived Rhombus' campaign of extermination in 2155 fled North and East, following the same path the Jackals took after they had their asses handed to them by the Khans thirty years before.''"

The Khans have a long history, with its major eras punctuated by major defeats. Around 2161, the primary war part of Khans was wiped out by the Vault Dweller, with only a single survivor, Darion. Darion later dedicated his life to rebuilding the Khans. The New Khans were later wiped out by the NCR and the Chosen One around 2242. The remainder of the New Khans migrated west, to the Mojave Wasteland. The Great Khans of the Mojave suffered further at the hands of the NCR, when the Bitter Springs Massacre happened in 2278, resulting in the deaths of their women, children, and the elderly, as well as forcing resettlement into the Red Rock Canyon.

Powder Gangers
The youngest of raider groups, the Powder Gangers emerged when a prisoner riot at the New California Republic Correctional Facility in Nevada resulted in the loss of control over the prison. The gangers, dressed in inmate clothing and guard uniforms stripped off the NCR prison guards, terrorize Highway 93 with the use of their sizable stash of explosives. Their attacks on Sloan and the caravans passing through the area shut down Highway 93, allowing deathclaws to move into Quarry Junction.

Vipers
The third of raider groups that originated in Vault 15. They are the most interesting of the three, as they are all followers of a religion worshiping mutated snakes. They emphasize stealth and night raids in their combat doctrine, and tend to use bone knives dipped in viper poison to paralyze and abduct their prey. The Vipers were soundly defeated in their first attack on the Hub, and retreated into the wastes to build up their strength. By the 2150s, their growing numbers led them to launch a campaign of aggression against the Hub. Their religious fervor made them fearsome enemies. Their campaign drew attention from the Brotherhood. The order underestimated the religious fervor, which led to the death of High Elder Maxson II. His son, John Maxson, ascended to the post of High Elder and Rhombus became Head of the Paladins, conducting a campaign exterminate the Vipers. Ultimately, the strength of the Vipers was broken within a month and the bulk of survivors fled New California, following in the steps of the Jackals.Fallout Bible 6 The Vipers: "''Defeat at the Hub in 2125: Their failed attempt to raid the Hub during the Hub's formative years, stopped almost solely by Angus, the founder of the Hub. Angus' defense caused the Vipers to retreat north, and they roamed the wastes for many, many years, occasionally attacking caravans and small settlements. Around the early 2150s, however, the Vipers had grown to their former strength from captured slaves and caravan drivers and had begun to establish a power base in the badlands to the North of the Hub (and south of the Lost Hills Bunker). Driven by a religious frenzy (and the need to provide for their much larger numbers of soldiers and disciples), they began raiding more frequently than before, attracting the attention of the Brotherhood of Steel. The Brotherhood sent out a few squads of scouts to track the raiders down - it was more of a training exercise conducted by John Maxson's father, as the Brotherhood was convinced that small detachment of troops in Power Armor would be sufficient to deal with a group of raiders, no matter how large. ''Near Extermination by the Brotherhood of Steel in 2155: One Brotherhood squad found the Vipers, and during the firefight, John Maxson's father (who was leading the squad) was killed with a poisoned arrow. The response from the Brotherhood was immediate. The Paladins, now led by Rhombus, began a full scale campaign against the Vipers, tracking them down and wiping out almost all of their members within the span of a month. A handful of Vipers were able to flee north and east into the mountain range, but they were never heard from again. ''During the campaign, the Brotherhood sent a few scouts and emissaries to the Hub to track down Vipers members, and from these beginnings, the Hub and the Brotherhood began full trade relations (caravans had delivered to the Brotherhood before, but not long after the destruction of the Vipers, caravan trains ran directly from the Hub to the Brotherhood on a regular basis). So some good did come out of the Vipers' presence in the wastes, for what it's worth.''" Just like the Jackals, they were gradually reduced to petty raiders, losing much of their unique culture as the pressure from the NCR and other survivors whittled their numbers down.

White Legs
One of the most primitive raider tribes, the White Legs originated in Utah, near Salt Lake City. They are scavengers, lacking the most basic skills necessary to sustain themselves. Normally considered violent, but harmless to larger communities, the collapse of the Desert Rangers led to their spread over the Utah stretch of Interstate 15. Around 2281, the White Legs were provided with superior weapons by Ulysses and used to raze New Canaan on the orders from Caesar. Their pursuit of Canaanites led them to mount an attack on Zion Canyon. However, they were ultimately unsuccessful in their pursuit and eventually exterminated.

Yakuza
A small group of opportunistic raiders preying on survivors around New Reno in 2241. Although they profess adherence to the ancient doctrine of Bushido, they are very similar to the Jackals, fleeing easily. They do, however, use an unique melee weapon: The wakizashi.

The Midwest
The great plains of the Midwest were home to various settlements and varied groups of raiders, all distinctly different. However, the arrival of Gammorin's Army and subsequent onslaught of Calculator's robots. By 2197, the raiders were forced into a full-on retreat east, banding together into a loosely organized confederation under the strongest raider chieftains (Luke Daniels, Bo Duffy, Daisy-May Gomer, and Jesse Gomer). Their plan was to solidify their position near the Great Lakes and then push back west. The raider campaign was met with decisive retaliation by the Brotherhood, destroying their hold over the region.

Smaller groups of raiders would persist as a nuisance, but they had no distinguishing characteristics and were swiftly exterminated. Only two were more notable: The Red Stingers, Quincy rebels who tried to establish their rule in Coldwater, only to be destroyed by the Brotherhood. The other was the Reaver Movement.

Reaver Movement
The Reaver Movement was founded many decades before 2197 in the Midwest. They were originally garden variety raiders, but their discovery of a large military cache led to their gradual transformation into a group of violent religious fanatics obsessed with the procurement of technology. Operating out of Newton, Kansas, they spread throughout the Midwest, clashing with survivors, robots, and the Brotherhood of Steel in their zealous pursuit of tech. By 2197, they were forced to call out to the Brotherhood for help in return for their knowledge. The Reavers were absorbed by the Eastern Brotherhood and ceased to exist as a separate organization.

Texas raiders
The former state of Texas hosted an unique, matriarchal group of raiders under Jane. Operating out of the Carbon mill with the Mayor as their puppet, the raiders acted as puppets to Attis, used to gather slaves for his attempt to resurrect the Unity's FEV program.

Appalachia
Forming out of a group of tourists located at the Top of the World ski resort shortly after the Great War, the Appalachian raiders were quick to split into groups, taking on their own self-proclaimed monikers. They were made up of five gangs; the Cutthroats, the Diehards, the Blackwater Bandits, the Gourmands, and the Trappers. Unfortunately, due to infighting, the Scorched Plague, groups like the Order of Mysteries, and numerous other events around Appalachia, the groups quickly tore each other apart for one reason or another, or solved their problems and prepared to dominate the region. By 2102, the only raider left was Rose, a Ms. Nanny programmed with the personality of the Cutthroats leader's girlfriend, broadcasting a radio signal in hopes for future raiders or future prey to listen in on...

Capital Wasteland
Raider groups that infest the eastern seaboard are some of the most primitive human groups to emerge in the wastelands. They are anarchic bands of violent outcasts, preying on anything and anyone weaker than themselves in an attempt to see the light of another day. There are a few exceptions: The largest group of raiders founded Evergreen Mills, one of the largest settlements in the Capital Wasteland, ruled by raider despots and rumored to maintain trade relations with the slavers. However, the largest organized group of raiders makes residence in the ruins of Pittsburgh.

Ashur's Empire
The raiders of the Pitt are an organized paramilitary force protecting the Pitt, ruled with an iron fist by Ishmael Ashur, a former Paladin of Lyon's expeditionary force, who was lost in the city during the Scourge. Ashur established his rule after he discovered that the steel mills of Pittsburgh could be made to work again. He harnessed the raiders, pressing them into service and organizing them into an army. Those that couldn't fight were put to work as slaves, restoring the mill, and creating an economical basis for the city. By 2277, the Pitt and its raiders were one of the most powerful groups on the eastern seaboard, hardly even qualifying for this term, as they were the military arm of a city manufacturing its own goods. Ashur continues to lord over the Pitt, building his vast raider army and the economical might of the Pitt, until he can fulfill his goals of freeing his people from the ravages of sickness and uniting the wastelands under his banner.

The Commonwealth
Raider groups that infest this region are not just some of the most primitive human groups to emerge in the wastelands. They are small anarchic bands of violent outcasts, preying on anything and anyone weaker than themselves. They are plentiful, ruthless, and extremely aggressive—nether are they particularly bright. Large groups can be a handful, and some gangs contain particularly strong members, but most raiders are poorly equipped and all too accustomed to preying on the regions most vulnerable denizens. Although predominantly human, there are some Ghouls among their numbers. Many gangs also include one or more attack dogs.

Appearances
Raiders appear in all Fallout games.