Olivia

Olivia is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, a Technocratic Military Order that works in the the wasteland with the purpose of preserve, secure, and study advanced technology. To many outsiders, the Brotherhood is a isolated force its members disciplined, heavily armed, and driven by a sense of duty that few in the post-war world can fully understand. Although the organization maintains strict isolationism and keeps its numbers small, its overwhelming technological superiority more than makes up for its lack of manpower. Even the sight of a single knight in Power Armor is often enough to make raiders scatter and wastelanders whisper.

The Brotherhood is divided into numerous chapters, scattered across the remains of the former United States. Most of these chapters operate independently, adapting to the challenges of their regions. Olivia, however, knows only a few by name and information carefully passed down to her during her training as a squire and later as a knight.

The Brotherhood of Steel of Lost Hills: Lost Hills is her home, her birthplace, and the beating heart of the Brotherhood’s history. Built upon a pre-war American military bunker, it became the cradle of the order in 2077 under the leadership of Captain Roger Maxson. Generations later, Lost Hills remains a fortress of steel and discipline, located in California and almost entirely encircled by the ever-expanding New California Republic. Every corridor, every training hall, and every armory inside its underground walls shaped Olivia into the knight she is today.

The Brotherhood of Appalachia: This chapter, founded in 2104, was dispatched to the rugged, mountainous region of Appalachia to secure the remnants of cutting-edge research facilities scattered across the area. Over the years, contact with them was lost, leaving only fragmented reports and rumors. Some say the chapter was wiped out; others claim they adapted to the harshness of the region and continued operating. Olivia has always been curious about their fate, though no official answers exist.

The Mojave Chapter: Established around 2260 by Scribe Elijah, the Mojave Chapter’s mission was originally to secure the Hoover Dam, a strategic hydroelectric resource. Elijah, however, changed course and relocated the chapter to the experimental solar array known as Helios One. That decision proved disastrous. In 2276, an NCR expeditionary force reportedly annihilated the chapter after a long conflict. Olivia’s Older sister, Evelyn, served with this chapter; she is believed to have died during the siege of Helios One. Though Olivia rarely speaks of it, the loss fuels many of her doubts and her resolve.

The Colorado Chapter: Founded in 2230 with the objective of retrieving potentially valuable pre-war technology from the ruins of Denver, this chapter set out with optimism and well-equipped squads. They never made contact with Lost Hills again. The wasteland’s dangers are many, super mutants, raider tribes, radiation storms, and to Olivia, the silence surrounding this chapter is a grim reminder of how fragile even the Brotherhood can be.

The Texan Brotherhood: In the early 2200s, Paladin Rhombus led a contingent into Texas to eliminate a super mutant warband. Instead of returning to Lost Hills, the contingent remained, establishing what would become the Texan Brotherhood. They adapted to the unique threats of the region, acting as defenders against raiders, mutants, and wild-tech anomalies. Though distant, their existence symbolizes the Brotherhood’s resilience and capacity to evolve.

As a knight and maybe future Paladin of Lost Hills, Olivia has sworn to defend the Brotherhood from any threat the wasteland might throw at them from raiders and mutants to entire nations. Her duty often places her at odds with ordinary wastelanders, who sometimes view the Brotherhood as authoritarian military dictatorship. Olivia has learned firsthand that the line between protector and oppressor can blur, especially when the Brotherhood’s mission collides with desperate civilian needs.

Knights are typically equipped with durable military uniforms, reinforced for long missions, and armed with standard-issue laser rifles, precise weapons far superior to most makeshift firearms found in the wasteland. When the situation demands it, they uses the Power Armors, technological exoskeletons that turns its wearer into a walking tank. Power Armor grants enhanced strength, speed, protection, and near-total immunity to radiation. Several variants exist, but the T-51b is the most common model in use by Lost Hills, cherished for its reliability and ease of maintenance.

One of Lost Hills’ most persistent adversaries is the New California Republic, or NCR. Tensions between the two powers have flared for decades, rooted in disputes over territory, industrial facilities, and ownership of technology. Though active hostilities have cooled, the border between NCR lands and the small, fortified territory of Lost Hills remains uneasy. Olivia grew up knowing that diplomacy at any moment the NCR could attack and that the Brotherhood must always be ready to defend.

The Lost Hills territory is surrounded by the NCR. To the north is the small town of Alpaugh, to the south is the large city of Necropolis, formerly known as Bakersfield, and Boneyard, which is the remains of Los Angeles. To the west is a town called Maxson, and to the east are the towns of The Hub and Junktown.

Other cities somewhat further that are part of the NCR are Shady Sands the capital of the republic, Dayglow, a city to the south that is completely irradiated; Sac-City, formerly Sacramento; Redding, a mining town to the north; and Navarro, a former military base occupied by the Enclave, an enemy of the Brotherhood that was destroyed with the help of the NCR. Navarro was the subject of dispute between the RNC and the Brotherhood, one of the reasons why the war between the two nations began.

The brotherhood, having an isolationist belief, does not accept recruits who are not members by birth, viewing Wastelanders as usually foolish or useless people. They only accept help from Wastelanders in times of dire need. Furthermore, they have a very strong anti-mutant sentiment, viewing all mutants as beasts.