Roland Kerst

Roland Kerst is a ghoul who sometimes lives in the town of New New York. Born before the Great War, Roland used to live in New York City, before the bombs hit. Having served in the Alaska Campaign but unable to secure himself a place in the nearest Vault, Vault 84, Roland was exposed to radiation that converted him into a Ghoul. He has medical expertise, but prefers to travel the wastes, having crossed from coast to coast before ending up in the Commonwealth.
==History==
Roland was originally born in Tucson, Arizona, part of the Four States Commonwealth. His parents had been workers mining uranium from the grand canyon. However, they had moved south from Flagstaff shortly before his birth, and had moved to New York City afterward.
Roland had gone through schooling, joining the ROTC of his high school and training himself to become a field medic. He also became well-versed in history and reading, going through all of Shakespeare's plays in a single summer. When the Chinese invaded Alaska, he was the first from all of the Bronx to sign up. His ROTC training and medical expertise advanced him into the ranks quite quickly, and he was sent to Alaska within two months.
Roland spent the entire Alaska campaign patching up soldiers fighting. He refused to ever go home, even after hearing about his parents dying thanks to the riots that had plagued the cities. They had not been killed by soldiers, but by stampeding protesters angry that their son was in the army. At one point, Roland was practically forced by his commanding officer to learn to use Power Armor, as he wanted to have as many soldiers know how in case of a surprise attack.
When Anchorage was finally reclaimed in 2077, Roland was honorably discharged, receiving a Medal of Honor for his valiant efforts in multiple combat theaters, and returned to New York City. Having been a part of the war, he was mostly thanked by passerby, but still looked upon angrily by some anti-war people. At one point, he was caught in the middle of a Chinese spy plot, but escaped with a broken arm and a dead spy leader.
On the day of the Great War, Roland had heard the sirens, and looked up, seeing the missiles flying towards his beloved New York City. Being in the Bronx, further away from the city itself, he had enough time to run, or rather bike, away. Turning back, he saw mushroom clouds cover the city, buildings he had once wlaked among collapsing, and the Statue of Liberty, in a somewhat ironic twist of fate, standing straight and tall, having narrowly escaped destruction.
The next week was the worst, acording to Roland. He spent his time walking, scavenging, and hiding from the newest crazies to walk the Earth. He had decided to stay in the New York area, simply because seeing the Statue of Liberty still standing gave him hope for the future, in a cliched way, he supposed. However, he also began to notice his skinn falling, hair disappearing, and voice becoming more gravely. In two more weeks, he discovered that he had fully converted into a Ghoul.
The next 200 years seemed to pass in a blur. Roland decided that the best thing to do was to walk and practice his medicine. Taking a hiking backpack full of essentials, including a fully-fledged medical supply kit and a variety of weapons over the years. He saw the rise of the NCR, the radioactive cloud over North Dakota, the tribals crossing the continent, the Brotherhood of Steel's war against the Enclave on two coasts, and even the battle of Hoover Dam. Throughout all of his travels, Roland healed the sick and even left some villages with a new legend of the one that appeared from nowhere and healed their town. 
His signature and favorite weapon, a scoped hunting rifle he discovered in the ruins of Topeka, is named Macbeth, and he thoroughly enjoys recounting the tales lost before time, those of great writers that never would have fathomed the destruction of the Earth on this scale.
==Personality==
Roland, before the War, used to be a major supporter of the United States, gladly ready to die for his country and protect freedom. After the War, though, his viewpoint changed. Discovering how he was now practically immortal (except for if he got killed), he had a new calling, per se, as he now cares for all good living creatures. 
Of course, his soldier training never left. Roland is constantly ready to engage in combat at a moment's notice. Along with that, he has full knowledge of the use of power armor, but has only used it once in the Wasteland (it was a weird day in Oklahoma).  
When he is performing medicine, Roland loves to have people talk to him. In 210 years, he's mastered the art of stitching up a bullet wound while discussing ethics with a second person. He especially likes talking to children, most of whom don't seem to hate him that much. Surprisingly.
Roland is also an extremely sarcastic individual, and enjoys calling everyone kid, regardless of their age. He loves to joke about being older than anything, and calls people out on anything that he finds as strange.
==Equipment and Abilities==
===Inventory===
====Apparel====
Roland typically changes clothes every year, as his current ones "die out". Currently, he wears a medic's white shirt and brown cargo pants, with a brown Pre-War jacket on top. He has black boots that have somehow survived centuries, and a combat helmet that he removes for surgical procedures.
====Weapons====
*Scoped Hunting Rifle - Macbeth
*9mm pistol - Othello
*US Army Cavalry Sword (Gift from the people of New Alamo) - Hamlet
*Power Fist - King John
====​Aid====
*Fully-prepped medical supplies
*Nuka Colas
====Misc====
*Pre-War book: Roland has maintained a copy of Shakespeare's Greatest Plays.
*Broken Pip-Boy: Taken from the skeletal corpse of a Vault Dweller wearing a jumpsuit with the number "65" on it. He has not bothered to rework it.
===Abilities===
Roland, as a Ghoul, is healed by radiation and is immune to its side effects. He is an expert medic/doctor, but is also a good marksman. His time in the army gave him skills in firearms and combat, and he is capable of using Power Armor. 
== Home ==
In the outskirts of New New York City, Roland has taken over an old mansion, where he lives whenever he stays there. In this mansion he has amassed a massive collection of items and memorabilia from the ruins of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. His proudest items are the head of a T.Rex he got from the NYC Natural History Museum, an intact set of WW2 weapons from a museum in Nebraska, and a set of US Cavalry clothes from the city of New Alamo.
When he's in town, Roland likes to give tours of his home, giving children and adults alike a glimpse into the history of their radioactive planet. When not at home, he tasks a select group of ten people to guard and protect his house.Category:Characters