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Scourge
WelcometothePitt
Overview
LocationPittsburgh, United States of America
Date2255
ResultBrotherhood of Steel effortless sweep
Involved parties
BoS logo Brotherhood of Steel
Leader
Owyn Lyons
Forces
Brotherhood of Steel forces
Casualties
Ishmael Ashur (MIA)
Connected events
Part of:
Brotherhood of Steel expedition to D.C.
 
Gametitle-FO3Gametitle-FO3 TP
Gametitle-FO3Gametitle-FO3 TP

The Scourge[1] is the term often used by Pitt inhabitants for the battle and mop-up operations conducted by the Brotherhood of Steel while traveling east to Washington, D.C. in 2255.

Overview[]

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, eliminating any resident who put up a fight. The intent of the Scourge remains unclear, however several unmutated children were taken from The Pitt by the Brotherhood and placed into initiate training. The motivations for the Scourge remain 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.[2]

Lyons' contingent left the city with about twenty children in tow.[3] Most were recruited into the Brotherhood. By 2277 only one remains stationed at the Citadel: Greg Bear, codename Kodiak, with Lyons' Pride.[4] Lyons' forces hand-picked children to take with his force, freely separating families if relatives were considered mutated or at risk.[5]

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 of Steel 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.[2]

References[]

  1. The Lone Wanderer: "How did you end up in the Brotherhood?"
    Kodiak:"Now that's a story... The only reason I'm here is because of Elder Lyons. You see, I grew up in the Pitt. Don't suppose you've ever been there, huh? It's about 500 klicks to the northwest. Place is a nightmare -- three irradiated rivers coming together. People there were... not well. But the Brotherhood of Steel came down on the place with a righteous hammer. They called it "The Scourge.""
    (Kodiak's dialogue)
  2. 2.0 2.1 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 2042Quoted verbatim, error appeared in the original sourceIcon 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)
  3. The Lone Wanderer: "How did you escape?"
    Kodiak:"As they swept through, the Brotherhood policed up every non-mutie child they could find. Turns out, there weren't that many. Me and maybe twenty others. The younger we were, the less of a chance that we were mutated. It was ugly work, no doubt, but it had to be done. I'll never forget the sight of the Brotherhood of Steel breaching the breast of the mountain at dawn."
    (Kodiak's dialogue)
  4. The Lone Wanderer: "What happened to the other kids from the Pitt?"
    Kodiak:"All of 'em became Initiates. Most of them went on to become Brothers. A lot fell in action. I'm the only survivor of the Scourge of the Pitt still stationed at the Citadel."
    (Kodiak's dialogue)
  5. The Lone Wanderer: "How did you rebuild after the Scourge?"
    Ishmael Ashur: "It wasn't actually that tough. The Scourge had cleared out a lot of Trogs, so we had space to move in. The Brotherhood had looted a lot, but they left even more behind as "damaged goods." And you can rebuild a lot out of "damaged goods." For example, they took one survivor, a kid the called "Kodiak". But they left his big brothers behind, because they were too wild and mean. But as it turns out, the Bear Brothers were some of my finest soldiers. At least, until they went up against you."
    (Ishmael Ashur's dialogue)
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