History of the Great Khans Past . After the many battles that had shaken the Khans eventually led to their seemingly ultimate defeat , the survivors refused to give up their pride and heritage . From this point the Khans dispersed into the world to begin anew . While it is not known what happened to the other groups , the group that settled in the Mojave quickly became one of its major players . Creating multiple settlements the Khans soon began raiding the other tribals of the surrounding area , as well as the few settlers that began to come from the New California Republic , who were considered both intruders and easy targets . However , it was not long before Mr . House , the ruler of New Vegas , finally recovered his systems from the nuclear bombs that he could not shoot down . House quickly tried to resolve the conflicts by offering the tribes their own Casino to operate under him , but the Great Khans already owned a large amount of land and refused to give up their heritage and follow House ' s orders . Knowing the Great Khans were his greatest threat not only because of their violence , but also because their hostility towards the factions of the Mojave could potentially hurt his plans for Hoover Dam , Mr . House gave the tribes that surrendered to him ( the Chairmen , the White Glove Society , and the Omertas ) large supplies of guns and ammunition as well as what little securitron assistance he could offer at that time , and prepared for war . These tribes , aided by House , drove the Khans out of the northern Mojave , pushing them out of the area around New Vegas and ending their time of power . It wasn ' t long after these wars that the NCR arrived from the south . They had come on a mission to annex New Vegas from whatever tribals were holding it , and to secure Hoover Dam as a power source , all under the initial guise of hunting down the Great Khans in retaliation for attacking their settlers . The Great Khans were now in no shape to fight , but the NCR killed them on sight out of revenge , leading to the first real spark of the resentment to the NCR held by the Great Khans . The Great Khans resumed their raiding of NCR caravans and settlers , as well as attacking the soldiers , who were poorly armed and demoralized . Initially , the Great Khans believed House would attack as well , so they took a very hard - line stance with the NCR in belief that they would be expelled from the Mojave very soon . However , House had been waiting for a strong , negotiable faction like the NCR . After the NCR secured Hoover Dam and Helios One from the Brotherhood of Steel , House freely gave them the territory , as long as the strip was given 5 % of its energy output . This turn of events meant certain death for the Great Khans , who now had to fight alone against the full force of the NCR . It wasn ' t long before the NCR had burnt down their settlements , killed most of their people , and forced them into hiding in the valley - settlement of Bitter Springs . In an infamous operation , the NCR sent the 1st Recon on Coyote Tail Ridge , near the mouth of the gorge that held Bitter Springs within , and ordered them to fire on anyone trying to escape as the large main force charged in from multiple points . While the NCR initially thought this was a military base , they were dead wrong . Bitter Springs was a settlement filled with the sick , elderly , children , and others who were unable to fight , while the actual soldiers were in war parties elsewhere . Due to this misinformation , the snipers and soldiers assaulting the settlement , who were under orders to shoot on sight , slaughtered countless innocent people in a move that would shame the NCR for years to come . Due to the low amount of actual soldiers protecting Bitter Springs , the NCR quickly defeated the Great Khans . With no home , and with the NCR on their tail , the Khans took their few survivors and created a camp at Red Rock Canyon . Most of the residents in the camp were the soldiers who were on the warpath during the Bitter Springs Massacre , and because of the large number of Khans concentrated there , as well as its strategic position , the NCR could not decide on how to assault them . Eventually , the NCR declared their victory over the Great Khans , ending the war between them , and turned their attention to other things , such as raiders and diplomacy with House . The Great Khans , however , were still a threat . Now armed with a deeper resentment for the NCR then ever before , the Khans slowly regained their strength , biding their time until the NCR can be attacked once again , and allying themselves with any enemy of the NCR , such as Caesar ' s Legion and the Fiends . Soon after their arrival in Red Rock Canyon , the Followers of the Apocalypse offered them medical assistance and access to knowledge via missionaries . While the Great Khans initially used their good - will to assist those wounded in Bitter Springs , they soon learned how to make their own chemical compounds and medicines , making them more self - efficient . The Great Khans soon learned how to make psycho - active and addictive narcotics with incredible skill . Before this they had been using coyote tobacco chew and other natural plants , and according to Bitter - Root , a survivor of Bitter Springs who actually joined the NCR unit that killed his family , they were addicted to these plants before they had even learned how to make synthetic narcotics . These new chemical narcotics lead to many Great Khans becoming addicts , changing them dramatically . The Great Khans soon became the leaders of the drug trade , selling their wares illegally to the Crimson Caravan and other NCR traders looking for profit , as well as selling these drugs frequently to the Fiends to keep them constantly high , so they could harass NCR patrols . Present . Their leader , Papa Khan , sensing a great battle coming , attempts to become allies with Caesar ' s Legion out of pure spite and hate for the NCR , which is made obvious by Caesar ' s Legions zero - tolerance outlook on drugs and medicine , as well as Caesar ' s Legion hate for any and all factions that are not under their rule . Regis , Papa Khan ' s advisor and head enforcer , sees these signs , and views the alliance as a last ditch attempt to hurt the NCR , also believing that Caesar ' s Legion will destroy the Great Khans when the battle is over . However , Caesar sends a frumentarii diplomat named to advise the Legion ' s new temporary allies . Karl soon discovers who the advisors are among the Khans , and quickly quells any idea of dissent by promising various things to the soldiers , as well as complementing them on their strength . Karl convinces the women , who would be enslaved under the Legion , that they may become soldiers in the Legion , and promises the Khans amnesty from the Legion , free trade of drugs , and all of the land West of the Mojave . However these promises are all lies used to convince the Khan ' s that the allegiance with Caesar ' s Legion is legitimate .