Southern Brotherhood of Steel

The Southern Brotherhood of Steel are a splinter group of the California-based Brotherhood of Steel that was separated from the Brotherhood's eastern expedition by a storm. They are currently the most powerful group in the wasteland, using their military might to exert control over the people of the southern wastes while continuing their search for useful technology.
==From the Wastes==
Although it can be easy to be lured by their fine equipment, it may be best to avoid the Brotherhood when available. Most of the Brothers will do little but shun you, and more xenophobic members will have no qualm about popping a few rounds in your direction. Although information on them is scarce, by their own inclusive nature, if one managed to acquire the information, they would find their origin to be quite interesting. A splinter of a larger organization, the Southern Brotherhood of steel was formed half out of choice and half out of necessity. A part of the original Brotherhood’s “Eastern Expedition”, a detachment of two airships held the young minds that would become the Southern Brotherhood, the catalyst for the splintering nothing more then an unexpected electrical storm.
Separated from the majority of their Brothers and badly damaged when the clouds cleared, what was left of the two ships decided to push towards the east in hope of reuniting with the rest of their dispatch. Far off course and hobbling through the sky, they ultimately failed, crash-landing in an undisclosed location in the south. Slowly reorganizing and realigning, the new Southern Brotherhood grew out of the wreckage of the same two airships, believed to be vaguely in the Carolinas.
Out of all post war organizations operating in the south, they are likely one of the best organized and equipped, although rather small in number. They roughly rule over multiple small towns and tribal settlements, demanding any useful scavenged technology. Offering protection and little else, it is even rumored that they occasionally appear in settlements they control, demanding any available newborns to take into their own before they become ‘unclean’. These few take-ins will likely join in on the oppression of their own peoples in years to come.
Their most notable presence is seen in encounters with their main fighting force, brotherhood knights. These small groups of roaming brothers and sisters, clad in specialized combat armor and often carrying rare energy weapons, appear in much of the wasteland, often on missions for technology or to ‘straighten out’ local tribes. Be warned, the brotherhood has little love for wastelanders, looking down on the unwashed masses.
Much rarer are reports of brotherhood Paladins, clad in power armor, and carrying heavy weaponry. Far more secretive and mysterious then the already mysterious knights, whatever paladins may be doing, it likely isn’t something you want to become involved in. Many have died by their hands, riddled with minigun bullets, or having been burned to death. If you've ever encountered these men, consider yourself lucky. If you were their target, you'd be a rotting corpse laying out somewhere in the wasteland.
The SBOS is the best organized militarily, and their tactics are a rather odd mix of pre-war military ideals and more ancient strategies. They employ their main fighting force using Old American military precision, although on a smaller scale, and wield their Paladins like a sledgehammer to plow through opposition.
==Activities==
===Confederate War===
Tensions between the SBOS and the Confederate Remnant erupted into full-scale conflict. This conflict drew the Confederate-allied Organized Tribes of the New South into war with the SBOS. The war intensified when the aging dean of The University declared war on the SBOS, mobilizing professors to collect all SBOS-contested technology. However, the University's entrance into the fray was seen as little more than a blow to morale due the University's theft of valuable technology. The Confederacy and Organized Tribes used this new declaration of war to launch counterattacks on SBOS positions. When SBOS scouts launched retaliatory strikes on University positions, the University joined the anti-aggression pact between the Tribes and the Confederacy, allowing all three groups to focus their efforts on the SBOS. The SBOS responded by withdrawing their northern explorations and sending troops to Marchwarden Vikkers, who then launched highly-effective raids on Confederate positions. The Confederates were sent into heavy retreat, struggling to regroup in the face of continued Brotherhood assaults. This renewed frenzy of attacks caused Tribal leaders to organize stealth scouting runs in a desperate effort to find and exploit Brotherhood weaknesses.
Category:Major Groups
Category:Groups