White Legs

The White Legs are a raiderThe Courier: "White Legs? Who are they?"Follows-Chalk: "Nasty bunch of raiders from up by Great Salt Lake. White Legs killed your friends at the Southern Passage. Not many survive White Leg raids - "The Courier: "Where do they come from?"Follows-Chalk: "That's the weird part - normally the White Legs keep to the Great Salt Lake. I don't know what brought them down this far south."(Follows-Chalk's dialogue) tribe in Zion Canyon in 2281.
==Overview==
Descended from the survivors of the Great War from the desolate region around Salt Lake City, the White Legs are a tribe formed out of a broad cross-section of Americans of different ethnic backgrounds, including Native American and various European ethnicities, from pre-War tourists trapped in post-nuclear North America. Having emerged in the desolate environment of the Great Salt Lake, the White Legs have traditionally painted themselves white to blend into their homeland,J.E. Sawyer on Tumblr: "I understand why people see it that way, but how the DLC shipped was not how it was planned. The tribes in Zion are descendants of a mix of North American native people as well as other American citizens and European (of various non-native ethnicities) tourists/campers. This survives in the language of the Dead Horses, for example, who use a large number of German-derived words.In the first design docs for HH, every tribe was supposed to have members from all of the F3/FNV ethnic groups. However, there was a complicating factor: body art. The various tattoos and body paints we needed to texture the bodies multiplied the number of required textures. They couldn’t simply be layered on (as they can in F4), but were entirely new body textures that dramatically increased the amount of texture memory being used. For that reason, each tribe wound up having only one body texture per sex. This compressed their ethnicities into homogenized blends, with Dead Horses being a darker tan, Sorrows a light tan, and White Legs (under the body paint) fairly pale.[...]Regarding the “natives as aesthetic” criticism, the patterns we used for the three tribes’ body art are not based on any current or historical native American body art (AFAIK). There are in-fiction explanations for each tribe’s specific choices. The White Legs initially colored themselves white to blend into the Great Salt Lake (where they are from) and they dread their hair out of reverence for Ulysses." and have learned to survive as master scavengers. What they cannot obtain by salvaging, they obtain by raiding other tribes and communities. As a result, they lack many survival skills considered essential, including food preservation, tanning, even basic hunting and cooking. However, they are exceptionally adept at war and taking by force, alienating them from other inhabitants of the wasteland,The Courier: "What do you know of the White Legs?"Daniel: "They're hateful savages who live only to plunder and destroy. Their leader is a devil called Salt-Upon-Wounds. War is what all he knows. Everything he has, everything that tribe has, was taken by force, raiding and scavenging. It's said there's no man deadlier at close range, that that powerfist of his has smashed a hundred skulls. Maybe that's true, but so what? It's a low form of leadership. A tribe that knows only war has no future. And so he'll lead them to Caesar."(Daniel's dialogue) especially tribes in regions around the Great Salt Lake near the ruins of Salt Lake City, where their primary camps are normally located. They have been particularly bitter enemies with New Canaan for decades, fighting them for supplies and territory. 
They were usually kept at bay thanks to New Canaanites and the Desert Rangers, until the latter were absorbed into the NCR in 2271. By 2277, the Rangers were completely integrated into the NCR Rangers and abandoned frontier outposts. The emboldened White Legs, normally raiding northeast of Caliente, pounced on the Interstate 15 and traffic passing through it northwards. The situation got so bad that the route was entirely abandoned, culminating in the destruction of bridges over Virgin River that sealed that region as White Legs' territory.The Courier: "What do you know about the White Legs?"Stella: "Used to be they raided northeast of Caliente, time to time. But then the Desert Rangers fell apart ten years ago, absorbed into the NCR. Soon enough the White Legs were swarming all over that stretch of I-15. Folks learned not to head north if they wanted to keep their scalps. Eventually the White Legs destroyed the bridges across the Virgin River, over in Arizona. End of discussion."(Stella's dialogue)
The increased territory and numbers presented a problem, as the White Legs found themselves unable to sustain themselves through just raiding. Unable to develop skills that would allow them to settle and unable to take cities with their primitive arsenals and skills, the White Legs were poised to die out within a generation, imploding as a result of their success.The Courier: "Joshua's come up with a reasonable alternative. Why not help them fight?"Daniel: "Joshua doesn't just want to fight the White Legs. He wants to annihilate them. The stakes are too high for their tribe. Hurting them won't dissuade them. If they can't join Caesar's Legion, they'll die out in a generation. They've never learned how to survive. Food preservation, tanning, even basic hunting and cooking seem beyond them. They only survive by scavenging and raiding, but that can't last. They'll only stop if Joshua and the Dead Horses can kill their war chief and their entire war band. That's exactly what he intends to do."(Daniel's dialogue) That is when the Legion's emissary, Ulysses, arrived. In return for the destruction of New Canaan and the death of all of its inhabitants, the White Legs would be inducted into the Legion. Caesar could not care less. New Canaan was just collateral damage, of course. Their real goal was the assassination of Joshua Graham.The Courier: "I came here with the Happy Trails Caravan Company to make contact with the New Canaanites."Joshua Graham: "Happy Trails. The White Legs want to join the Legion. Caesar's rite of passage is the destruction of the New Canaanites, almost assuredly because of me. The good news is that we can help you find your way back. Daniel, one of the other New Canaanites, has made many maps of the region. The bad news is that we can't help you right now. Not with everything that's going on."(Joshua Graham's dialogue) Under Ulysses, the White Legs learned new combat skills and gained new weapons, recovered from Old World and New Canaan caches. Thus strengthened, the White Legs started raids throughout former Utah and parts of Nevada for Caesar's Legion, killing all who they came across. 
With the help of Ulysses, they managed to sack New Canaan. They waited until Graham and the bulk of the city's defenders were away, before attacking under cover of night.The Courier: "If you don't acknowledge your past now, it'll come back to you later."Daniel: "[SUCCEEDED] True enough. We can't escape it no matter how hard we try. Best we can do is own up, trust in the Lord to forgive. Joshua was gone, so were a lot of the other New Canaanites. White Legs must have been watching for a long while, counting who remained. We didn't think the White Legs were a real threat. Maybe it was overconfidence. Maybe sloth. Either way, we didn't see them coming. They attacked at night. They killed without regard to age or infirmity. Armed or unarmed. Beat them to death in their beds while they were sleeping.And now we're all that's left. Maybe thirty of us. "(Daniel's dialogue) Under Ulysses' leadership, the White Legs blitzed the city, before its denizens could mount an effective defense.The Courier: "Wait, what? New Canaan was wiped out? How?"Follows-Chalk: "That's what Joshua said. White Legs came down from Great Salt Lake in force - fell on New Canaan before they could mount a defense. Joshua found some of the survivors led by a man named Daniel. Most of them have fled the valley, but Daniel stayed on with the Sorrows tribe. He and Joshua have been arguing over whether to stand and fight the White Legs or take the Sorrows and the Dead Horses out of the valley."(Follows-Chalk's dialogue) Few managed to flee the city into the surrounding countryside. The White Legs killed all without mercy, including the elderly, ill and children. Anyone who didn't get away fast enough.The Courier: "Well, I'm guessing you're pretty mad about something."Joshua Graham: "The White Legs didn't just force my people out of New Canaan. They butchered everyone who wasn't fast enough to get away. The elderly, the ill, children. Those who stopped to help the wounded. It made no difference to them. They can't be reasoned with, the White Legs. Daniel believes that if we leave, if the Sorrows leave, the White Legs will stop. He doesn't understand what this kind of tribe is like."(Joshua Graham's dialogue) The city was then set on fire, to prevent anyone from returning. Those trapped in buildings were burned alive, including Bishop Mordecai.The Courier: "You're the man in charge. If something's troubling you, it could affect all of us."Daniel: "[SUCCEEDED] I never thought I'd be in charge of anything. Don't know why. Bishop Mordecai was old. He had been sick for years. He couldn't walk anymore. It wasn't a problem for the rest of us. When the White Legs came... . We couldn't get him out in time. The house caught fire at the base and worked its way up. Fast. He didn't die of smoke. I wish he had. Sometimes I wake up and for a minute or two, I think all of it was a dream. But it's not. It wasn't. I wish all of this were some fevered vision of what could have been. Instead of what is, what we let happen."(Daniel's dialogue) The ruins were then salted, to ensure nothing could grow there again.Waking Cloud: "When Salt-Upon-Wounds took New Canaan, he ordered the White Legs to salt the earth so nothing could grow again. What kind of monster could do that?"(Waking Cloud's dialogue)
The White Legs then pursued the refugees into Zion, to finish them off and gain their place at Caesar's side. Little did they suspect that Graham would be a tough nut to crack, as would the Courier, coming into the canyon with a Happy Trails caravan.
==Society==
The White Legs are a raider tribe that revels in destruction. Accordingly, they boast a barbaric lifestyle based off of strength and combat acuity. Everything they have has been acquired either by picking through ruins of the Old World or raiding more capable wastelanders. Their leaders are chosen on the basis of their prowess and savagery. Salt-Upon-Wounds, their chief, was reputed to have slain a hundred men with his power fist, achieving his position. New Canaanites Daniel and Joshua Graham have a low opinion of this form of leadership, considering it brutal and unsustainable for the White Legs in the long term. 
White Legs are superstitious and dislike pre-War buildings, which they consider to be taboo.The Courier: "Any idea where to start looking for these pre-War supplies Daniel needs?"Follows-Chalk: "Best place to look for Back When stuff is the taboo places. Sorrows and Dead Horses don't go in there, and even White Legs don't like them much."(Follows-Chalk's dialogue) Superstitions contribute to their strong tribal identity, together with two additional factors. First, they speak a pidgin language, heavily borrowing from various pre-War languages, isolating them from other tribes. Second, while composed primarily of men and women of Caucasian descent, all White Legs cover their bodies in white chalk and identical war paint on their faces, reinforcing their distinct identity. This was also done to help them camouflage in their native territory of the Great Salt Lake (a barren salt pan).Josh Sawyer's tumblr "The White Legs initially colored themselves white to blend into the Great Salt Lake " The White Legs attack all who do not have their appearance. The dreadlocks worn by the tribesmen are a tribute to Ulysses. By appropriating the hairstyle of a former Twisted Hairs tribesman, they wished to show respect, thanking him for teaching them how to wage war on New Canaan and providing them with new weapons to do so. They only succeeded in tarnishing their legacy.Ulysses log Y-17.23
===Characters===
===Examples of words and phrases===
===Military===
White Legs warbands are composed of four different types of warriors, each specializing in a different aspect of combat. Tactically, White Legs warbands heavily rely on ambushes, to deny their targets the ability to form a defense. Hiding behind cover such as trees, rocks and even bushes, they attack when they believe they have the upper hand. These warbands are split into two basic types: ranged and melee units.
* White Legs storm-drummer: Specializing in guns, their signature weapon is the White Legs' "storm drum" (.45 Auto submachine gun). They also sometimes carry a random rifle, ranging (based on level) from the varmint rifle to the anti-materiel rifle. They also carry a random melee weapon as a backup weapon.
* White Legs light-bringer: Specializing in explosives, they typically carry fire bombs or grenades, with a random pistol or submachine gun as a backup weapon.
* White Legs pain-maker: Specializing in melee Weapons, they carry either a poisoned bladed weapon, or a Shishkebab. They also carry several throwing tomahawks for ranged combat.
* White Legs bone-breaker: Specializing in unarmed combat, they have slightly more health than other White Legs warriors and are armed with a random unarmed weapon, ranging (depending on level) from brass knuckles to the mantis gauntlet. They also have an innate +3 bonus to DT.
White Legs rarely fight alone, usually in pairs or larger groups. This allows them to attack the Courier cooperatively, using a mix of both melee and long-range attacks to deal a large amount of damage.
==Relations with the outside==
Due to their hostility, the White Legs have little to no relations with any of the tribes of Zion and attack anyone who isn't one of their own.The Courier: "Degenerate tribes?"Jed Masterson: "That's right. The folks that lived in Zion before the war, they didn't just get a little savage, they're downright feral. Most of them don't even speak English any more - you got to get yourself a New Canaanite translator to talk to them. The ones you really got to watch out for are the White Legs, from the Great Salt Lake. They'll attack just about anyone that ain't one of theirs."(Jed Masterson's dialogue) Any group that works with and is associated with their enemies (namely, the Sorrows and Dead Horses to the New Canaanites) is also in danger of violence.The Courier: "You said you "used to" help the Sorrows with problems. What do you do now?"Daniel: "I'm trying to make amends for allowing our problem to become their problem. The New Canaanites, I mean. The White Legs have always fought with us, and with Joshua returning, Caesar has motivated the White Legs to stamp out the New Canaanites entirely. That means the tribes we work with, too. It's already I just want to prevent something terrible from happening to the Sorrows."(Daniel's dialogue) The defeated are routinely scalped for trophies. 
Their only alliance is with the Legion. Ulysses manipulated the White Legs into believing that the Legion will provide for them, but in truth, their only purpose is to kill Joshua Graham and destroy New Canaan. Beyond that, the White Legs are too primitive to consider integration and should they survive the events in Zion, they are refused entry into the Legion.Honest Hearts endings The modus operandi is similar with other tribes the Legion targeted. Twisted Hairs were also promised integration on favorable terms, in exchange for their talents, only to be assimilated by force, with defiant tribesmen crucified along the I-40. Of course, the Twisted Hairs were pure scavengers, incapable of sustaining themselves.Ulysses log Y-17.21
==Technology==
The White Legs are scavengers and their gear consists of whatever tools the tribe managed to acquire. Their distinct armor is usually a collection of salvaged armored plates coupled with cloth and leather held together by belts and ropes, with any non-combat gear carried on these makeshift harnesses. Their weapons represent an eclectic mix, ranging from simple melee weapons such as tomahawks, through Shishkebabs stolen from talented wastelanders, to jury-rigged weapons like mantis gauntlets. Ranged weapons include a variety of firearms taken from armories and caches. Their signature weapon is the storm drum, a pre-War .45 Auto submachine gun. The bulk of these weapons was taken from an armory near Spanish Fork.The Courier: "Nice guns."Joshua Graham: "In the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, all tribes are known for a specific weapon. White Legs are known for their big submachine guns, "storm drums." They broke into an armory near Spanish Fork and have been using them for years. Of course, the Dead Horses have their wooden war clubs and even the Sorrows have their Yao Guai gauntlets. This type of .45 Automatic pistol was designed by one of my tribe almost four hundred years ago. Learning its use is a New Canaanite rite of passage."(Joshua Graham's dialogue) All ranged weapons are in invariably poor condition, as the White Legs do not know how to maintain them. What they don't know how to fix, they discard. As a result, their camps resemble large trash heaps, rather than settlements of civilized folk.Three Marys
==Endings==
==Notes==
* The White Legs differ from most other tribes in the sense that they want to be assimilated by Caesar's Legion, most tribes are forcibly absorbed into Caesar's Legion or they, along with the rest of their culture, die.
* Though the White Legs want to be assimilated by Caesar's Legion, many White Leg warriors are women. This indicates that they do not know what they are signing up for, similar to the Great Khans. Caesar was also known to betray his allies: the Twisted Hairs formed an alliance with Caesar to serve as his army's scouts in Arizona. Once the Arizona wastes were pacified, the Legion stripped their tribal identity and forced them into slavery. Those who resisted were crucified along the remains of I-40.
* According to Joshua, the signature weapons of the White Legs are their "storm drums," the .45 Auto submachine gun. As such, they are significantly better armed than the other tribes in Zion. Both the Dead Horses and Sorrows use melee weapons as their signature weapon, favoring war clubs and yao guai gauntlets respectively. Even the New Canaanites are arguably less well armed, as while Daniel uses a submachine gun, the tribe as a whole favors .45 Auto pistols.
* Their dreadlocked hair is actually not a hairstyle, but rather a unique non-player character-only headwear that cannot be accessed by players without console commands.
* They are very stealthy. Traveling along Zion's roads gives the risk of getting ambushed. They usually hide behind trees and sneak along the bushes.
* Completing the Crush the White Legs quest will completely remove the White Legs faction from the game. They will no longer appear in Zion Valley, and cannot be spawned using console commands.
* A few survivors can be found after the quest Flight from Zion.
==Appearances==
The White Legs appear only in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Honest Hearts. They are mentioned by Ulysses in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road.
==Behind the scenes==
A pro-White Legs ending was briefly discussed during the development of Honest Hearts, though the short time schedule for the add-on made the option one that could not feasibly be supported.Joshua Sawyer on Tumblr: "We talked about it briefly, but the time schedule for Honest Hearts was very short, so it never seemed like something we could feasibly support."
===Developer quotes===
==References==
;Non-game
 
de:Weißbeine
es:Piernas Blancas
it:Zampabianca
pl:Białe Nogi
pt:White Legs
ru:Белоногие
uk:Білоногі