Brotherhood of Steel – Eastern Division
Log of the Second Exodus
War may not change, but organizations do. They grow and shrink, fracture and reform. None more so than those created by "true believers" in whatever cause they pursue. It is those fervent beliefs that give such human collectives their strength, but make them brittle as well, so unable to accommodate the inevitable variations of belief that must arise amongst individual minds. And so it is that we few, we band of Brothers, found ourselves marching eastward toward the mountains. Not tasked with any mission but survival and the burning desire to plant our banner in new soil to grow without limits. For "Growth is Strength is Life".
I am Jon the Librarian, Scribe of the Brotherhood of Steel, charged with keeping the record of our days. In truth, I have charged myself with this, as there are other priorities on the minds of the Paladins. However, it is our nature, those of us honored to be scribes, to collect, record, analyze, catalog, and report data of all kinds. Certainly, as a scribe, I have found my greatest joy in seeking out, studying, and even designing powerful technologies. We have already made some fascinating finds, and I have seen and done much I could not have imagined when I was working in the labs and libraries of our old home. Of course, all scientific efforts are being conducted under proper military authority and supervision.
The record of our journey east, our discoveries here, and the foes we face has been well kept by Brother Rothchild until recently. As I now take up this responsibility, I feel a preface is required and thus touch upon a subject others may have preferred to leave undiscussed. First, an undeniable truth: we are a splinter group, supporting the doctrine and manifesto of the BOS, but with new methodologies and modes of operation. I have more interest in historical matters than my Brothers and thus know we were not the first to break ranks. As we have so recently and tragically discovered, we were not the last. But, to the beginning...
When our honored High Elder Rhombus died, the Ruling Council could not agree on a successor. True, it is not often that they agree on anything without some argument, but this was a most serious division. After our victory over the super mutants, many thought we should continue to grow militarily, sweeping across the wasteland, like a "steel wind" if you will. However, Rhombus did not agree and allowed our Paladin ranks to decline, believing we only required a minimal security force. I should add that some of his choices for technology released to outsiders proved to be regrettable as well and cost us blood. Cowards who would never dare to meet our Paladins face-to-face in battle were using our remote-controls to detonate explosives in their path.
Now we had a chance to change course, and there was one Elder who saw that we needed to increase our presence and power, or else risk the loss of all we had achieved. He spoke forcefully against those who would prefer to disengage and withdraw into burrows like frightened rats. Many of our finest warriors agreed, eager to finally be unshackled and sent forth to scour this vicious land. Growth was essential in order to acquire and protect vital assets, so recruitment was a central issue in our Elder's plan. The number of towns and villages with healthy young stock was increasing, and efforts to find suitable candidates needed to be prioritized along with technology acquisition. We would take only the best and brightest, of course, who could absorb our indoctrination and rigorous training. We would save these valuable from an ignominious fate (and how much better to have them with us than against us, I thought as well). The BOS should not only be the repository of all technological knowledge, but the home of all those strongest in body, mind, and heart. Only then would we be guaranteed of establishing control over that which we must have in order to secure our own destiny.
In the end, the Council majority was of a like mind to the late Rhombus and would not support this direction. For any other group, the result would have been violence. We are the BOS, however, and we do not raise arms against our Brothers. A split was the only alternative. We agreed to march to the farthest reaches in the east, a land likely rich in technology and settlements.
It was a difficult and tense time preparing to depart, and perhaps fortunate that we had chosen to travel light (for speed) and so did not demand more equipment and supplies than they were willing to part with. I did manage to bring a few volumes myself, including ones given to me as a young initiate by the old scribe Cabot: Stories of the Round Table and Elements of Computer Design. (Someday I hope to restore an ancient computer and create my own database.) Unlike for some others, my choice was easy. I have seen what the depraved and desperate souls of the wasteland can do with technology. It is for the greater good that they be constrained to live primitive simple lives. Even the growth of large "nations" (such as NCR) will only lead to grief. Only the BOS can and should wield this ancient power, or else it is the doom of every living thing. Nonetheless, when we finally left our misguided Brothers behind, it was with a heavy heart, foreseeing their inevitable decline. While this schism is their most guarded secret, they will find it hard to conceal their fading numbers.
I have divided the record that follows into volumes for better reference.
Volume 1 details our journey to and over the mountains. It was difficult, though more for the terrain than the occasional raider nuisance.
Volume 2 describes our travels across the barren plains. Fewer settlements than hoped for. We began to see evidence that we followed in the footsteps of our old foes. Volume 3 covers our arrival in the eastern part of this continent. More settlements were found, most willing to trade food and intelligence data in return for military aid against bandits, raiders or rivals. We had no super mutant sightings, though local legends spoke of them.
Volume 4 records our discovery of the ancient capitol city and the great military fortress “Pentagon”. We made have some profound discoveries here. The first battle with super mutants was a surprise attack on our training squad. They were valiant (and will be avenged). Our efforts to re-fortify Pentagon are documented.
Volume 5 is the current volume I have just begun. I describe our relationship with the communities around us, including our dependence on them for much of our food, and our plans for recruitment. Unfortunately, I must also now document the departure of our Brothers who have acted so unwisely. Is it not treason? Can they not see that we must destroy our inhuman enemy once and for all. As I add our latest chapter, I can only wonder if this is to be our darkest hour.
Log of the Second Exodus
War may not change, but organizations do. They grow and shrink, fracture and reform. None more so than those created by "true believers" in whatever cause they pursue. It is those fervent beliefs that give such human collectives their strength, but make them brittle as well, so unable to accommodate the inevitable variations of belief that must arise amongst individual minds. And so it is that we few, we band of Brothers, found ourselves marching eastward toward the mountains. Not tasked with any mission but survival and the burning desire to plant our banner in new soil to grow without limits. For "Growth is Strength is Life".
I am Jon the Librarian, Scribe of the Brotherhood of Steel, charged with keeping the record of our days. In truth, I have charged myself with this, as there are other priorities on the minds of the Paladins. However, it is our nature, those of us honored to be scribes, to collect, record, analyze, catalog, and report data of all kinds. Certainly, as a scribe, I have found my greatest joy in seeking out, studying, and even designing powerful technologies. We have already made some fascinating finds, and I have seen and done much I could not have imagined when I was working in the labs and libraries of our old home. Of course, all scientific efforts are being conducted under proper military authority and supervision.
The record of our journey east, our discoveries here, and the foes we face has been well kept by Brother Rothchild until recently. As I now take up this responsibility, I feel a preface is required and thus touch upon a subject others may have preferred to leave undiscussed. First, an undeniable truth: we are a splinter group, supporting the doctrine and manifesto of the BOS, but with new methodologies and modes of operation. I have more interest in historical matters than my Brothers and thus know we were not the first to break ranks. As we have so recently and tragically discovered, we were not the last. But, to the beginning...
When our honored High Elder Rhombus died, the Ruling Council could not agree on a successor. True, it is not often that they agree on anything without some argument, but this was a most serious division. After our victory over the super mutants, many thought we should continue to grow militarily, sweeping across the wasteland, like a "steel wind" if you will. However, Rhombus did not agree and allowed our Paladin ranks to decline, believing we only required a minimal security force. I should add that some of his choices for technology released to outsiders proved to be regrettable as well and cost us blood. Cowards who would never dare to meet our Paladins face-to-face in battle were using our remote-controls to detonate explosives in their path.
Now we had a chance to change course, and there was one Elder who saw that we needed to increase our presence and power, or else risk the loss of all we had achieved. He spoke forcefully against those who would prefer to disengage and withdraw into burrows like frightened rats. Many of our finest warriors agreed, eager to finally be unshackled and sent forth to scour this vicious land. Growth was essential in order to acquire and protect vital assets, so recruitment was a central issue in our Elder's plan. The number of towns and villages with healthy young stock was increasing, and efforts to find suitable candidates needed to be prioritized along with technology acquisition. We would take only the best and brightest, of course, who could absorb our indoctrination and rigorous training. We would save these valuable from an ignominious fate (and how much better to have them with us than against us, I thought as well). The BOS should not only be the repository of all technological knowledge, but the home of all those strongest in body, mind, and heart. Only then would we be guaranteed of establishing control over that which we must have in order to secure our own destiny.
In the end, the Council majority was of a like mind to the late Rhombus and would not support this direction. For any other group, the result would have been violence. We are the BOS, however, and we do not raise arms against our Brothers. A split was the only alternative. We agreed to march to the farthest reaches in the east, a land likely rich in technology and settlements.
It was a difficult and tense time preparing to depart, and perhaps fortunate that we had chosen to travel light (for speed) and so did not demand more equipment and supplies than they were willing to part with. I did manage to bring a few volumes myself, including ones given to me as a young initiate by the old scribe Cabot: Stories of the Round Table and Elements of Computer Design. (Someday I hope to restore an ancient computer and create my own database.) Unlike for some others, my choice was easy. I have seen what the depraved and desperate souls of the wasteland can do with technology. It is for the greater good that they be constrained to live primitive simple lives. Even the growth of large "nations" (such as NCR) will only lead to grief. Only the BOS can and should wield this ancient power, or else it is the doom of every living thing. Nonetheless, when we finally left our misguided Brothers behind, it was with a heavy heart, foreseeing their inevitable decline. While this schism is their most guarded secret, they will find it hard to conceal their fading numbers.
I have divided the record that follows into volumes for better reference.
Volume 1 details our journey to and over the mountains. It was difficult, though more for the terrain than the occasional raider nuisance.
Volume 2 describes our travels across the barren plains. Fewer settlements than hoped for. We began to see evidence that we followed in the footsteps of our old foes. Volume 3 covers our arrival in the eastern part of this continent. More settlements were found, most willing to trade food and intelligence data in return for military aid against bandits, raiders or rivals. We had no super mutant sightings, though local legends spoke of them.
Volume 4 records our discovery of the ancient capitol city and the great military fortress “Pentagon”. We made have some profound discoveries here. The first battle with super mutants was a surprise attack on our training squad. They were valiant (and will be avenged). Our efforts to re-fortify Pentagon are documented.
Volume 5 is the current volume I have just begun. I describe our relationship with the communities around us, including our dependence on them for much of our food, and our plans for recruitment. Unfortunately, I must also now document the departure of our Brothers who have acted so unwisely. Is it not treason? Can they not see that we must destroy our inhuman enemy once and for all. As I add our latest chapter, I can only wonder if this is to be our darkest hour.
