Fallout Pen and Paper d20 intro The following text is the introductory chapter of the canceled " Fallout Pen and Paper d20 " , released as a free sample by Glutton Creeper Games . Keep in mind that it contains numerous inconsistencies with the established " Fallout " canon . The NCR Historical News . Sunday , February 07 , 2155 Article 5 - 26 History of The Wasteland . By Jacob Smith War , war never changes … If you were able to describe the world we live in to someone from way back in the 21st century , they would have called it “ post - apocalyptic ” . While not an entirely accurate description , it gets the idea across . All of the great monuments , convenience stores ( hell , convenience itself ) , and the entertainment technology of the 21st century are all gone . The buildings have been morphed into burned out husks , the open land glows with radiation . Any trip outside ( and sometimes inside ) the fortified walls of any of the larger remaining cities is always met with violence . The Wasteland is overrun with criminals , Radscorpions , and worse . However , this way of life is not “ post - apocalyptic ” . You see that would imply some sort of world ending event followed by a Judgment Day / Reckoning and finally a Heaven for the good and a Hell for the wicked . What we received instead was a world changing set of events followed by generations of people just trying to get by . Hell is dished out in any sized portion you could dream of . We live in a time that is merely Apocalyptic . This is an attempt to set the record straight about how we ended up this way and what we can do about it now . Hopefully this will prove to be a useful reference for those wanting to catch a peek of the things that are waiting for them outside . So … let ’ s start at the beginning ; The Great War . The idea of conquest in the name of riches is nothing new . Even a quick glance back through history will reveal a very basic pattern . Winner takes all , to the victor go the spoils , you snooze , you lose ; this is the first lesson of history . The Roman empire , the British empire , the Third Reich , even small scale land grabs such as Iraq ’ s invasion of Kuwait were all fueled by the desire to control resources . The second lesson is a little harder to pick up on , but it ’ s there . Sometimes being the victor , maintaining victory or even the fight itself is simply self - destructive . You end up spending or destroying the very riches you were trying to gain . By the mid - 21st century the riches that Man had usually waged war over had grown from the simple list of gold , ports , slaves , and arable land . This list now included oil , coal , lumber , and technology . And when these things started getting scarce , people began to become very afraid . Like many impending crises , the dwindling of the Earth ’ s natural resources went largely unnoticed by the general population . That is until a televised documentary about the tapped out oil fields in Texas put the issue front and center in everyone ’ s living room . It did not take long for the rising panic to cause world leaders to take overt actions ( despite attempting to deal with the problems in quiet , ignorable ways for years ) . The United States began laying down economic sanctions against Mexico using the cover story that the government of Mexico was unstable and was therefore a threat to the U . S . ’ s national security . The real reason for stirring up trouble was , of course , to create a politically viable reason to send in American troops to secure the oil refineries and other North American business concerns . Despite this rather open case of “ appropriation ” , the Resource Wars kicked off in earnest in the Middle East and Europe . The European Union had begun military actions against the Middle East in response to rising fuel costs . Fully prepared to fight to the death for their oil and land , the nations of the Middle East launched counter attacks . Before long , the entire Earth was engaged in a war seemingly without resolution . The U . S . began sending an ever - increasing amount of troops to Alaska to secure the oil reserves . Tempers flared between Canada and the U . S . over this issue . Meanwhile , the conflict between Europe and the Middle East devolved into a limited nuclear exchange . These developments lead to the creation of the Vaults . It did not take long for the oil fields in the Middle East to dry up ( effectively ending the war while exhausting both sides ) . With the world ’ s greatest deposit of oil gone , countries prepared to fight over the scraps . China , in particular , had its eye on the Alaska oil reserves . In 2066 , China finally invades Alaska . The result is not only a major increase in military hardware ( Power Armor was invented to combat Chinese tanks ) , but also the U . S . ’ s annexation of Canada . Even as Alaska fell to communist China , The United States managed to tap the last known deposit of petroleum . This deposit is miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean . The Chinese - American war continued to escalate while the rest of the world crumbled . Food supplies were running out , riots were occurring daily , and there were still no viable solutions on the table . The U . S . sent Power Armored troops into mainland China , which turns into a fiasco . Fortunately , for the U . S . , the American army is able to reclaim Alaska . This victory is short lived . While entrenched in a protracted war with another nation , the domestic situation in the United States became untenable . The entire nation seemed poised for violent revolt . The war with China might have been something of a victory , but any sort of idea of “ winning ” was long gone . And that ’ s when it happened . Someone pushed the button and changed the world . Everything we knew became unraveled in a matter of less than two hours . On October 23rd , modern civilization died in a sea of mushroom clouds and heat . That day was forever engrained in our minds . In the past , U . S . history ’ s most powerful events were so immersed in the culture , such as July 4 th , that they werecelebrated . The dates they occurred on became a sort of short hand for what they signified and formed a calendar of national identity . Not only did they represent the events , but also the implied context , feelings , and aftermath left in their wake . This phenomenon was not unique to the U . S . either . Specific dates had special meaning for various countries around the globe . Each culture had its own defined , but separated , collection of events and histories . October 23rd , 2077 cut across all national borders . On that day the sky burned , the earth blackened . On that day , all people of all nations were united in a terrifying and deadly maelstrom . There ’ s an old saying . “ History is written by the winners ” . If that ’ s the case , then history stopped being recorded on October 23rd 2077 . As the bombs fell and the Vault doors closed , all winners and history began to be erased . Those left behind to tell the story of what happened were merely survivors and history became a folk legend degrading with each generation retelling the story . Vault City Rogue Press . Tuesday September 5th , 2240 Limited Edition A People ’ s History : Imprisoned safely behind a large vault door … . By Sarah Grey In 2054 , the American government funded an initiative dubbed “ Project Safehouse ” . The aim of this project was to build strategically located shelters to protect the populace in case of nuclear or biological attack . The beginning of the European - Middle Eastern conflict drove the need for this program . Each of these 122 shelters were designed to house 1000 people . The people inside would be safely sealed within the Vault ’ s protective walls for a minimum of 10 years . Or , at least , that ’ s what the populace was told . The real purpose of the Vaults was far less altruistic , a shocking and terrifying angle we ’ ll explore later . The Vaults themselves were large underground structures constructed to withstand any sort of attack . The water and air filtration systems were supposedly impervious to high intensity blasts and were also very efficient at removing toxins and radiation . There were vast supplies of food , government provided entertainment tapes , and survival guides . Arguably , though , the most important resource in the Vault was the G . E . C . K . The G . E . C . K . , or Garden of Eden Creation Kit , was a self - contained device designed to jumpstart terraformation in the post - nuclear war world . The kits contained a small cold fusion reactor , soils , seeds , fertilizer , and basic force field tech . Each Vault was supposed to have two of these units and they were to be deployed as soon as the Vault doors opened . The 460 Holodisks that came with the kit were loaded with numerous how - to guides for construction as well as the full contents of The Library of Congress . Vault City was essentially grown from one of these kits and remains a singular success in the kit ’ s use . While not every citizen may agree with all of our government ’ s actions ( and are thusly jailed ) , we can all agree that the city serves as a symbol of hope for the entire Wasteland . All hail Vault City ! Not all Vaults were as lucky as own ancestral Vault 8 though . Some Vaults , such as Vault 13 , did not receive their G . E . C . K . ( or maybe they were stolen ) . Also , since not all 122 Vaults have been found , we can assume that their kits did not work , or that their Vaults did not survive the war . This goes back to the chilling truth that was brought up earlier . Not all Vaults were supposed to work . In fact , only Vault 8 was designed to neither be without flaw nor hitch . The Government did not create these Vaults as a safe refuge for the nation ’ s smartest , bravest , richest , most powerful , nor even most famous people . The Vaults were constructed to be a sort of Social Darwinist experiment . The U . S . government ( remnants of which remain to this day , known as The Enclave ) had recognized the inevitability of nuclear war and the destruction that it would have on the Earth . Figuring that even if they survived such devastation , there would be nothing left on the entire planet with which to build on . Essentially , all the things that we as a species had waged war over for since we could walk upright would be gone . This was not a problem that a simple G . E . C . K . could solve . The solution was a new planet . Vault records received by a ceased wanderer ’ s possession through Holodisks revealed that The Enclave at one time prior to the war had looked into ( and possibly accomplished ) the creation of an interstellar spacecraft . This spacecraft , of course , only had limited capacity for travelers . Only the strongest and best should be allowed to colonize the human race ’ s new home . How to choose the said individuals ? Enter the Vaults . Each Vault , with the noted exception of Vault 8 , which was used as a control group , was graced with an intentional design flaw . These flaws gave each Vault a unique set of circumstances to which to test the inhabitants . Those deemed worthy ( i . e . the survivors ) when the Vault doors opened were supposed to be given the invitation to join the self - appointed elite in their journey to the stars . Some of the Vaults had rather minor challenges set to them , such as Vault 70 ’ s lack of sufficient clothing . While it might have been a source of consternation for the Vaults largely Mormon population , it pales when compared to Vault 68 with its population breakdown of 999 men and one woman , or that of Vault 29 ’ s lack of anyone over the age of 15 . Most would agree , however , that the Vault with the worst possible experiment assignment was Vault 12 . Located in Bakersfield , California , Vault 12 ’ s doors were designed to not close . The inhabitants of the Vault were exposed to an extremely high level of radiation . The survivors of this horrible experiment were mutated into ghouls . These violent cannibals rechristened Bakersfield “ Necropolis ” . These violent cannibals are well known throughout the Wasteland and frighten even the most battle - hardened traveler . There are rumors of a more peaceful Ghoul population that lives in the sewers . One wonders if this is wishful thinking . These Vaults were presented as the last hope of the human race surviving the war . But , they were nothing more that yet another game played on the public by the power elite . As the war waged and the cities melted , these 4 - yard thick walls entombed the hopeful underground . Meanwhile , the heads of The Enclave waited out the war not in Vaults , but rather the Poseidon Oil Rig , located off the coast of San Francisco . They waited for the day they could enlist those who emerged alive from the Vaults and leave Earth forever . Something must have happened though . Either the blasts from the bombs or the resulting radiation must have destroyed the spacecraft , or maybe it was not yet complete when the bombs fell . Either way , the plan for colonizing a new planet never came to fruition . Now The Enclave is stuck with the only option available to it : reclaim and reform the United States . There is , of course , resistance to such a plan . Vault City Rogue Press . Tuesday September 5th , 2240Limited Edition A People ’ s History Part 2 : From the ashes of nuclear devastation … . By Sarah Grey In 2098 , Vault 8 opened for the first time in 21 years . There were a number of young adults and children who had never seen the outside world before . For them , there was nothing more terrifying and freeing than the idea of open space . For those who remembered what life was like before the war , there was nothing so shocking as seeing that world literally turned to dust , ash , glass , and rubble . People emerged from their shelters and began trying to piece together some semblance of a working society . Farms began to spring up , basic hunter / gatherer activities were established , and scouting for goods and other survivors were all incorporated into daily life . It did not take long for social phenomena like bottle cap based economies to become a fairly common feature amongst these fledgling villages . Life was hardly returned to normal , but there were emerging constants that could be relied upon . Unfortunately , one of those constants was self - defense . While many of the human survivors had been safely hidden from the radioactivity , wildlife was not . There were giant radscorpions , mutated large rats , fire - breathing lizards , carnivorous plants , and many other creatures to deal with . There were also ghouls , raider hordes , and mutants that threatened life on a daily basis . Not all mutations were the result of radiation . West Tek , a government sponsored experimental facility , designed a man - made virus called the Forced Evolutionary Virus ( FEV ) originally intended to create a “ super soldier ” , for the military before the Great War . FEV had some unexpected side effects and research was violently halted just prior to the war . Those exposed to F . E . V . were either mutated into brutish , unintelligent giants ( provided they survived ) or , more rarely , became Super Mutants . The Super Mutant is also large and amazingly strong , but is also immune to radiation and even boasts improved intelligence ! Despite the possibility of good , being achieved with FEV , it can be ( and is ) used as a weapon of enslavement and terror . There has already been at least one madman who tried to raise his own Mutant army . The risk of abuse of this technology is astoundingly high . While FEV was around prior to the war , very few people knew of it . After the Vaults began to open though , its presence was not something that could be ignored or covered up . The world that awaited that first generation of people to inhabit the post - war Earth must have seemed as alien as any target plant of the Enclave . Some human traits might reassert themselves ( war , economies , vehicles , weapons ) , but this world was nothing like its predecessor . Vault 8 was neither the first nor the last Vault to open . Each Vault opened according to its own schedule . Some stayed closed for a mere 10 years and some were intended to open after a staggering 200 years had passed . Since not all of the Vault locations are known , it is possible that some Vaults are still locked . The NCR Historical News . Sunday , August 13 , 2164 Article 12 - 66 Today ’ s Wasteland : A Survivor ’ s Guide . By Jonathon Stone Civilizations struggle to arise … There are a number of powerful factions and relatively prosperous places in the Wasteland . It is always a good idea to know a bit about them and their histories before shooting your mouth off in a bar in a strange town . The Brotherhood of Steel , while not large , is probably the most technologically advanced faction in the Wasteland . Secretive and suspicious , this organization worships technology and sees itself as the only group responsible enough to use it . They are not at all involved in maintaining order or delivering justice . Their main goal is to develop tech and consolidate their power . Roger Maxon founded the Brotherhood in response to witnessing the FEV experiments on prisoners while he was a member of the U . S . military . Maxon led a revolt at the Mariposa base where the experiments were being carried out . On October 20th , 2077 he declared the based succeeded from the U . S . A . This was a mere three days before the bombs fell . Amazingly , the radiation levels around the base were fairly low . Maxon led his men to Lost Hills and formally founded the Brotherhood . Their influence has spread considerably since then . However , given their xenophobic and secretive nature , their growth has been eclipsed by other factions . The Eastern Brotherhood of Steel , a splinter group of the main force , was formed in the Chicago area . This group had argued for the sharing of technology and recruitment of new members to the fold . After being rebuked , this small sub - faction of the Brotherhood was sent east to observe and report Super Mutant activity . Their airship crashed during a storm . The survivors formed this break away faction and began operating independently of the Brotherhood of Steel . Holodisks reports indicate that this Eastern Brotherhood of Steel , while more open minded in sharing technology , rule with an iron fist . Like The Brotherhood of Steel , The Enclave ’ s roots extend far beyond the Great War . The Enclave was at one time a faction within the U . S . government . This group was the power elite within the power elite . Not only did they have the power and resources that came with running one of the most powerful nations on Earth , they had every large corporation ( such as West - Tek ) in their pockets . After 2077 , The Enclave had to change its focus and aim for some newer goals . There have been rumors of people disappearing and strange machines flying in the air near west coast . Rounding out the pre - Great War societies that survived the nuclear onslaught are the Hubologists . Founded by Dick Hubbell , Hubologists see their life ’ s mission as repairing a pre - war space shuttle in order to relocate ( or something ) to a large wheel in the sky . No one else , of course , has ever heard of or seen this great wheel . Still , the Hubologists believe . There is some evidence that point to Dick Hubbell having invented the religion as a hoax in order to scam money . However , since there is so little unbiased information about Mister Hubbell still in existence , no one can say authoritatively if that is the case . Most people do , however , agree that Hubology is strictly for crazies . Despite their fervor and weirdness most do seem to be relatively harmless . Especially when compared to … just about anyone else you might run into in the Wasteland . In addition to dangerous and powerful groups , the Wasteland has a number of dangerous and powerful places . Primary amongst these would be the NCR , or New California Republic . Comprised of 5 states ( Shady , Maxon , Hub , Los Angeles , and the Glow ) . NCR boasts a population of over 700 , 000 , which makes it clearly the largest power center in the former United States . The capitol of city is also known as NCR and has a population of over 3000 people itself . Originally founded by the inhabitants of Vault 15 , NCR had an unparalleled growth rate . In addition to its high population and strong economy , NCR is known for its representational democratic government and the outlawing of prostitution , public intoxication , and gambling amongst other things . Some of the positions that can be found in the government are Senators , Governors , Council people , and a President . They serve the greater good of the NCR while maintaining state ’ s rights . NCR has a very large and fully outfitted army with which to protect its borders and is also one of the more “ civilized ” areas . With the freedom of religion and laws designed to protect the citizenry , NCR ( on the surface at least ) is a desirable and safe place to live . Some might argue that the strict laws prohibiting alcohol , drugs , and any number of natural forms of entertainment actually make the area oppressive and dull . There is some amount of conflict between the states that make up the NCR and its capitol . These disagreements are mostly centered on control of trade routes and their tariffs / taxation rights . Some of these debates can get quite heated and a number of the states view themselves as rivals , but there does not seem to be any indication that there will be any sort of major schism in the near future . Without a doubt , NCR polar opposite is New Reno . With no central government and certainly no laws prohibiting drugs , booze , gambling , and “ escorts ” , New Reno is a depraved wanderer ’ s paradise . You can have all the fun you could ever imagine in New Reno , if you ’ re prepared to pay the price . Before the Great War , gambling towns such as Reno , Nevada were considered to be recession proof . No matter how bad things were doing in the world , people still liked to throw dice , drink a few too many , catch a show , and maybe even pay for a night ’ s worth of amore . New Reno proves that nothing , not even the end of the world can erase humanity ’ s drive for cheap thrills and reasonably priced deals . In its own way , it ’ s kind of beautiful . New Reno is not so much policed or governed as it is “ kept in line ” by four mob families . The families Salvatore , Wright , Mordino , and Bishop each have their own turf and each have a hand in making sure the tourists keep coming . Anyone that makes a nuisance of his or herself and is thought to be driving away business will probably end up in Golgatha . For those not in the know , Golgatha is a large graveyard outside of town . Another popular ( somewhat involuntarily so ) draw to New Reno is Jet , a highly addictive mind - affecting drug created in 2241 . This powerful stimulant was invented right there in the smallest big city in the Wasteland . A person on a Jet bender could not only gamble for several days without any kind of sleep , but could also be convinced to do just about anything to get more Jet . And while Jet can be found in most any settlement now , there is no Jet like New Reno Jet . There are some rumblings that the ruling families , especially the Mordino , are eyeing nearby Redding as a new property to expand into . This has , of course , been met with nothing but denials . Just off the bay in northern California lies San Francisco . This city is unique for many reasons . One of the main ones have to do with it ’ s re - founding . Most of the settlers in San Francisco are descended from a Chinese submarine crew that ran aground off the coast sometime after the Great War . These people are known as the Shi . A large number of the rest are Hubologists . In addition to this strange collusion of people are small populations of artists , misfits , ex - military , and criminals . According to records , this mix provides San Francisco with an atmosphere very much like the one it has during the pre - war era . The city itself exerts a bit of mob rule ( mostly handled by the Shi ) . San Francisco seems to pay NCR no mind and by all appearances just keeps trucking along fine without their influence . Martial arts play a large role in the culture of the city . There are large demonstrations and rivalries between schools . These exciting and often deadly encounters only add to the mystery and intrigue of the place . Finally , there is Vault City . While Vault City is as active and organized as anything within the NCR , Vault City citizens are not as hung up on false and antiquated senses of morality and “ freedom ” . Born from the dwellers of Vault 8 , Vault City quickly established itself as an advanced and progressive city - state . Vault City ’ s society is split into different castes ( Full Citizens , Servants and Outsiders ) ; we are all given a place in the social order here . Within the walls only Citizens are allowed and those who had earned a day pass ( diplomats , heroes , and the like ) inside of our walls . The rest of the rabble could stay out in the Courtyard where they could peddle their wares and do whatever it is they do out there . Most wanderers who have managed to finagle a day pass have noted that the Courtyard is more lively and chaotic and fun . However , it is also more dangerous and dirty . Vault City is not favorable to chaos and grime … or interesting times . While these cities might be some of the most powerful and influential , they are hardly the only cities worth seeing . Redding , Klamath , Necropolis , and Junktown are all worth seeing . As harsh and unstable as the Wasteland seems to be , there are some amazing sights to be had out there . These towns and cities are at once a depressing reminder of how far and fast we as a species fell into the abyss and a symbol of hope . As each city gets rebuilt , or a new city gets founded , we are lifted up . We can build as well as destroy . We are not just manufactures of death . At the same time they force us to look at what we have done . Where we are now proud to merely have shelter , we once had thriving metropolises . Mass communication , great works , decent roads , vehicles … these were abundant . Now we are forced to use their pieces in order to merely get by . It could be worse . The Redding Rag . Fable # 12 Legendary Heroes of the Wastes . By Mason Storm The Vault Dweller , he doesn ’ t even need a name . He is a savior , villain , and legend all in one . What he represents is so large and so vastly overshadows his actual life , one wonders if a true history of his exploits could ever be written . Fortunately for us , history is dead and we have the folk tale to live with . Not much is known about him prior to the events that turned him into a symbol . He was born in Vault 13 and by what little accounts there are ; he was a more than capable person , but hardly a hero . Like many legendary champions , The Vault Dweller was just caught up in circumstances beyond his control and yet was able to master these circumstances . Sometime around 2161 , Vault 13 ’ s water chip broke . The leader of that Vault , called the Overseer , chose The Vault Dweller seemingly at random to be the one sent out into the Wasteland in order to find a working chip . Since Vault 13 was supposed to remain sealed for 200 years , the Overseer did not want to open the doors and send out a party . He decided that sending merely one member of the tribe would be acceptable . The Vault dweller quickly found himself in a harsh world full of injustice and exploitative degenerates . Nearly everywhere he went , he was asked to help yet another downtrodden person . Accounts seem to verify that The Vault Dweller did make some rather morally ambiguous decisions , but generally acted on behalf of the good . When he arrived in Shady Sands , he was asked to help the town fight the radscorpions who had invested it . Being handy with a gun and having no particular love of radscorpions , he agreed . All in a day ’ s work for a wanderer , really . But , soon after these beasts had been taken care of , raiders kidnapped , Tandi , the daughter of the town ’ s leader . The Vault Dweller was again asked to help , even though the problems of this town are not his own and that the town ’ s leader openly distrusts him . The Vault Dweller set out to complete this quest . Tandi had been kidnapped by the Khans , a raider gang styling itself after the Mongols of ancient history . The leader of this gang was feared ( but none too bright ) . It did not take long for The Vault Dweller to find him . A local trader who was looking for some adventure and was almost handy in a fight joined the Vault Dweller in the conquest of the Khans . The resultant bloodbath was amazing . Tandi was safely returned to her town . The Vault Dweller told her about Vault 13 to the west and then had to leave . Tandi never forgot The Vault Dweller . Eventually she grew up and became the President of the NCR . Sometimes , it isn ’ t just individuals that symbolize a certain zeitgeist , but also friendships . You won ’ t hear too many stories about The Vault Dweller that don ’ t include at least a mention of mean ol ’ hound called Dogmeat . No one knows exactly how these two became friends . Some stories have the Vault Dweller bribing Dogmeat with iguana - on - a - stick , while others contend Dogmeat mistook the Vault Dweller for his previous owner due to his leather jacket . The only two things that all accounts of their meeting agree upon are that it was in Junktown and Dogmeat had an old man barred from his own home . Resolving this issue was a little easier than fighting raider gangs and soon Dogmeat and The Vault Dweller were traveling the Wasteland together . They fought enemies and kept each other company . It may seem like a simple not at all interesting thing now , but at the time this friendship served a comforting story for those learning to deal with the vagaries and paranoia in this “ post - apocalyptic ” world . Friendship and loyalty were things a lot of people seemed to have forgotten about . On or around January 2162 , The Vault Dweller reached The Hub . He was successful in his attempts to negotiate with the Water Merchants . This did not save Vault 13 , but it certainly helped . What did not help was that someone , or something , was stealing water from Vault 13 ’ s magazine . Pressing on , The Vault Dweller and companions , ended up in Necropolis ( formerly Bakersfield , CA ) and somehow manage to recover a water chip . While there , they experience the full spectrum of ghouls that make up Necropolis ’ population . It was not a happy time as one of the Vault Dweller ’ s companions was burned to death via a Super Mutant ’ s flamethrower . The Vault Dweller returned home with the water chip . When he told the Vault Overseer about the Super Mutant presence in Necropolis , he was given a new mission . This time , the Vault Overseer wanted him to dispose of this Super Mutant problem . Most people now consider this a suicide mission . A number of scholars believe that the Overseer knew about the true nature of the Vault project , feared The Vault Dweller was close to finding out , and simply wanted The Vault Dweller dead . In March of that year , The Master sent his army of Super Mutants to raze Necropolis to its foundations . This forced a confrontation between The Master and The Vault Dweller . For those that don ’ t know , The Master was a dangerous cult leader whose secret aim was very similar to that of the Enclave ’ s prior to the Great War . The Master ran a cult called The Children of the Cathedral who were seemingly out to better mankind ’ s lot . However , the Children of The Cathedral were actuallysecretly looking to recruit normal humans to serve as operatives . These operatives , if approved , would convert to the Cathedral faith ( a mixture of higher callings , social Darwinism , and faux altruism ) , and would be voluntarily dipped in one of many vats of FEV that The Master had hidden in his converted military base . When The Vault Dweller arrived back in Necropolis , he saw a burned city that was sadly worthy of its name . One of the survivors told The Vault Dweller that The Master was in hiding in The Boneyard , a city formerly known as Los Angeles . The Vault dweller , intent on completing his mission , descended on the city with a heart full of fury . However , he did not kill randomly or without strategy . Beneath the cathedral was a special Vault . This Vault was not like the others built by Vault - Tec prior to the War . This Vault was never intended to be used , as it was merely a demonstration model . It was , of course , still used as a shelter when the bombs began to drop . Unlike the other Vaults , this one was abandoned fairly quickly after the War was over . When that happened , The Master moved in . The Vault Dweller made his way through the Cathedral ( and through the disciples within ) and began his decent into the Vault underneath . The walls were melded with a sort of sentient flesh . There were vengeful mutants . Death and mockery of life were everywhere . At the end of this abysmal journey was The Master himself . No one knows the exact details of what came next . All we do know is that The Vault Dweller emerged alone , The Master was never seen again , and the Children of the Cathedral were broken , scattered to the winds with no direction . Once this was accomplished , The Vault Dweller set out for Mariposa to dispose of the FEV vats . Using a few connections he had made with The Brotherhood of Steel , The Vault Dweller located the base and destroyed it . This victory came with a high price . Not only was the base full of Mutants and robots that nearly cost The Vault Dweller his life , it had some powerful force field technology that cost him his friend , Dogmeat . There are stories that he and all of the heroes of our time live in a sort of ghost town that appears and disappears to wanderers on their own long journeys . Such is the power of myth . When The Vault ‘ dweller returned to the Vault one final time , he was met not with a fanfare , but a rebuke . After all of that hard work , sacrifice , and blood to save Vault 13 , the Overseer told our hero that he must leave the Vault forever . He was cast out into the Wasteland for no logical reason . This is part of the supporting evidence that the Overseer was a cog in a greater conspiracy . Undaunted , The Vault Dweller and a number of faithful left the Vault and founded the town of Arroyo . Soon Arroyo was flourishing and strong . The Vault Dweller took wife and had a daughter with her . The child eventually became the Elder of the tribe . The Vault Dweller wrote his memoirs and settled into the tribal life . All was well , until one day , without warning , he was gone . All that was left behind was the folded Vault Suit and memoirs . Some say that sky spirits took him to the afterlife and other say he just wanted one last chance to journey the Wasteland . It is telling that The Vault Dweller signed his book of memories as The Wanderer ; for that is what he truly was . Our world is both brighter and darker without him in it . Darker because we need more stronger people like him , and brighter because his myth does so much for our spirits .