Joshua Graham

General: Joshua Graham formerly known as Malpais Legate is the acting war chief for the Sorrows and Dead Horses tribe. He is multilingual, knowing tribal dialects and some latin. He carries a 45 automatic pistol, designed by one of his tribe almost 400 years ago, and notes learning it's use is a right of passage. His gun is called A Light Shining in Darkness. He is 57 years old.

Personality: Joshua Graham is a man who seeks redemption for his blood soaked past. He is a devout Christian, specifically a mormon, and he does his best everyday to follow in his Lord's footsteps. He is protective, humble, patient, and very wise. He can also be ruthless, and vengeful when needed. He often quotes the King James Bible.

Backstory: Joshua Graham was born in New Canaan, which is what remains of Ogden, Utah. Joshua Graham was always linguistically gifted, so as a young adult he set off to be a missionary and comminuted with tribes near the grand canyon. On his journey he met with two Followers of the Apocalypse, Edward Sallow (currently known as Caesar) and Bill Calhoon. He notes Bill was a good man, but Edward got them in trouble down the line. Joshua Graham's time as a translator went well, until one of the tribes, the Blackfoots held the group hostage. Joshua still thinks back to that day, wondering if he mistranslated, because prior to the hostility the Blackfoots seemed to have got along with the group fine. Edward decided to teach the tribe what he had learned about war from ancient roman books, Graham serving as the interpretor, helped the Blackfoots win some wars they had been fighting. The Blackfoots hailed Edward as their leader for his knowledge, and Graham became the field commander.

From conquering tribes and assimilating them, in 2247 Caesar's Legion was formed, founded by both Caesar and Joshua Graham. Joshua graham was second in command, the first legate, and called the Malpais Legate. Edward Sallow crowned himself Caesar. Joshua Graham notes that becoming the bloodthirsty monster he used to be was a series of small mistakes, "it started with translating, then giving orders, giving orders became leading into to battle, leading into battle became training, punishing, terrorizing." And for 30 years he worked for Caesar. He was so menacing and ruthless he not only terrified enemies, but also other legionaries. Though he admits he wasn't a particularly brilliant strategist, nor tactically flexible.

After assimilating, enslaving, or slaughtering enemy tribes, a frumentarius named Ulysses would set the Legion's eyes on Hoover Dam, which was occupied by the NCR. He had a legendary reputation for being impossible to kill among the NCR, despite this he overestimated his skills as a commander, and underestimated the NCR. He arranged his legionaries in the usual formation, treating the battle with the Republic like one of his eastern tribal conquests. However, Chief Hanlon, leader of the Rangers, foresaw this move and accurately predicted Graham's battle tactics, formulating a plan to lure the legionaries into a trap. While General Lee Oliver’s troops held the Legion’s front line in place, Rangers and First Recon sharpshooters focused on eliminating their veteran commanders, creating chaos within the Legion's ranks. When the legate ordered his elite forces to break through the enemy’s defenses, the sharpshooters executed a tactical retreat into Boulder City. Meanwhile, elements of the Army and Rangers kept the Legion engaged just long enough to allow their most experienced legionaries to enter the city. Once inside, the Republic forces swiftly withdrew, abandoning soldiers and Rangers trapped behind enemy lines. They then triggered a series of massive explosives hidden in the buildings. The blasts acted as giant fragmentation bombs, killing or maiming the majority of the legionaries and leaving the survivors in shock. Following the explosion, the Army and Rangers launched a counteroffensive, wiping out the remaining Legion forces on the western side of the Colorado River and forcing the Malpais Legate to retreat from the dam in disgrace.

Caesar was furious at Joshua Graham's failure, so he brought him back to the grand canyon, ordered the Preatorian Guard to cover him in pitch, light him on fire, and cast him into the grand canyon. Witnesses say Joshua Graham didn't even scream. The "execution" of Joshua Graham served as a lesson that failure will not be tolerated, even from the second in command.

Joshua Graham against all odds however, survived his lethal punishment, waking up the next day, burned and broken but still alive, the fallen legate realized that his only option was to return home, to New Canaan. Despite the intense pain from his injuries, Graham dragged himself out of the northern edge of the Grand Canyon and embarked on the arduous journey back. As he struggled with the agony of his burns, he discovered that he was immune to wasteland drugs, both beneficial and harmful. This left him with only the task of changing the bandages on his scorched skin daily to stave off infection—though each time, the process forced him to expose his raw flesh to the air, and he noted that it felt like being burned alive all over again. Over the course of three months and 400 miles, he endured the suffering of his journey until he finally reunited with his people in New Canaan. To his surprise, despite the horrific deeds he had committed for Caesar, the New Canaanites embraced him as if he were a long-lost son returned. In his mind, the ordeal he faced at the hands of the Legion and his survival had transformed him, reigniting his faith and stripping away his pride and vanity. The thirty years of distance, atrocities, and shame no longer mattered to his family.

In the aftermath, the terror wrought by the Malpais Legate and the tale of his fiery descent into the Grand Canyon fused into the myth of the dreaded "Burned Man"—a specter said to roam the wastelands. This legend spread like wildfire among the remaining tribes, eventually reaching Caesar himself. Recognizing that his punishment had not extinguished Graham's legacy, Caesar responded by forbidding his legionaries from ever uttering Graham’s true name, under penalty of death—a practice known as Damnatio memoriae. Ironically, this only amplified the Burned Man’s mystique. Determined to erase Graham entirely, Caesar ordered his frumentarii to hunt him down and eliminate him on sight.

As for Graham, he chose to forgive Caesar for their shared past, guided by his faith and the principle of hating the sin but loving the sinner. Nonetheless, he remains fully aware of Caesar’s continued intent to see him dead, made evident by the relentless stream of frumentarii and Legion assassins pursuing him.

By 2281, Joshua Graham's violent past caught up with him. Under Caesar's command, Ulysses armed and incited the White Legs to attack New Canaan, hoping to earn favor with the Legion by wiping out Graham and his people. With most of New Canaan’s defenders away, the assault devastated the community—many were killed, and the rest fled into Zion Canyon.

To protect the survivors and local tribes, Graham became the acting war chief of the Dead Horses, while another missionary, Daniel, allied with the Sorrows. However, the two clashed over how to deal with the advancing White Legs: Daniel advocated for a peaceful evacuation, while Graham sought vengeance, driven by grief, guilt, and a belief that punishing the wicked in Zion—a sacred land—was his path to redemption.

Other: His opinion on the Mojave factions is that the NCR has too much love of money, not enough love of God and giving, but that it's better than Caesar. He's not a fan of house either, noting the way he dealt with tribes wasn't entirely different from the Legion. He doesn't involve himself in Mojave politics very much anymore.