God's Militia

**God's Militia** (also known as the **Salvation Church**) is a Los Angeles cult based on a warped reading of the James King Bible. It is an incredibly violent, neo-Christian militant order bent on bringing their vision of the world to everyone on the tips of their bayonets.

## Background

The Salvation Church was founded in 2027 by a man called Luke Samson (better known as the Red Samson among the faithful). Samson was just a mere scavenger, but his transformation came when he discovered an old VHS tape that belonged to a televangelist. The charismatic contents of the tape made him a neophyte of a peculiar form of Christianity, interpreted through the lens of a violent, uneducated man with a sledgehammer in his hand. Believing that the world was stuck in the midst of a thousand year tribulation, Samson set to rally people to his faith. Though brutal, he has gained a sizable following and managed to secure a territory for his church. Dubbed the Angelus Temple, it became the first seat of God's Militia.

However, the violent nature of the faith have led to problems. Around 2052, Angelus Temple was set upon by a large mob of people fundamentally opposed to the policies of the Church and burnt down to the ground. The survivors retreated under Samson's lead towards Griffith Park, establishing the Bastion of Faith in the Griffith Observatory. Samson himself perished sealing the tunnel used for evacuation. Since then, God's Militia evolved into one of the most brutal and savage entities in the Los Angeles wasteland, routinely committing atrocities, enslaving people, and indulging in debauchery in the name of spreading the faith. By 2102, they pacified Atwater and the Yucca Corridor.

They left Hollywood alone due to their preoccupation with the gangs of Los Feliz and Glensdale, but after these territories were pacified and brought under control of the Church, they turned their sights to Hollywood, becoming a persistent pest undermining Heidi Hollander's business.

## Organization

The Militia is divided into three branches, which are constantly bickering and competing against each other:

* Church Ecstatic is tasked with spreading the faith and finding converts. Its head, Malediction Mayweather, is the current leader of the Church.
* Church Militant is the fist of the Church, spreading the faith with fire, brimstone, and automatic weapons. Its head, Retribution Jones, is a true believer and most dangerous of the three leaders.
* Church Vigilant is the Inquisition and foreign intelligence agency rolled into one. Ascension McDade is the most careful and slippery of the three leaders and knows everything about Los Angeles.

While normally they work in a decentralized manner, the Militia does perform regular Crusades. About once a month, they come down from Griffith Park in force, killing, pillaging, and enslaving all those foolish enough to stay behind when the news of their arrival comes.

## Interactions

* God's Militia is encountered infrequently in the larger Los Angeles area, typically as isolated patrols wiping out the unfaithful or as nuns with guns on a slaving run. Fixed encounters include Santa Monica.
* A renegade Militant, Neil Thomas, is one of the available recruits.
* Confronting the Militia at Griffith Park is a necessary step to gain access to the radio tower in Hollywood.
* The Militia is also a source of medical grade zeolite for the ultimate rad suits.

## Behind the scenes

* The Militia was originally presented as the *Pistol Packing Priests*. There are still NPCs and dialogue lines that refer to them as such; while Heidi Hollander tells the player that these two names refer to the same group, there are still some instances where NPCs call them "the PPP."

## References

1. ↑ Who Was This Red Samson?
2. ↑ Poor, Confused Luke
3. ↑ Story of Samson
4. ↑ Heidi Hollander
5. ↑ Transmission when repairing the Rail Nomads tower: "*Only evil men would call us evil men! Our muzzle flash is the light in the darkness. Our shining blades are the beacons that lead sinners to salvation. Some call us murderers, lunatics, savages. We are an army. We are God's army, put on this Earth to defeat sin once and for all! And let me tell you, brothers and sisters. We are winning. Already we have brought the cleansing fire to Atwater and the Yucca Corridor. Already, our missionaries advance toward the Coliseum and the towers of the--*"